My Road To Become A Ninja
by murloc rampage
Summary: It's been 100 years since the seventh Hokage, Naruto, has died. Peace only lastest for so long and now the other lands are a threat. One boy starts his journey on the road to be a ninja. Will he become a great one or die without ever becoming a chunin. He already failed his graduation exam once but other ninja have failed and became something great.
1. Ch 1 Graduation

**Ch. 1 Graduation**

 **(I hate starting new fanfics. They're the second hardest part of a fanfic with the ending being the hardest. I hope you'll enjoy Rui's journey to become a ninja and favorite, follow or leave a review.)**

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 **{Rui's Point of View}**

My name is Rui. Currently, I'm a cadet at the ninja academy. I'm trying my hardest to become a genin but due to my shortcomings... that's harder than I thought it was. Currently, I'm a 4 foot 11 tall 13-year-old white male. I have short black hair and two different color eyes. My left eye is hazel while my right eye is brown. I'm right handed so my brown eye is the dominant one. Sometimes I'd wear my sweater with the hood up to hide my face from others. Mostly because of my bad reputation. On my hands, I've wrapped bandages around them because of my training. Sometimes my knuckles were burned or rubbed raw, so the bandages were used as a sort of cushion. On the back of my hands were a headband like armor to protect them further. As for the legs, I wore black sweatpants to match my sweater with black sneakers. I like to wear this for a comfortable leisure appearance. It gets me made fun of, sure, but I feel comfortable and prepared for the weather. My ninja tools pouch is attached to the back of my sweatpants with one pouch hidden under my sweater. I have two for double the tools and so I have an extra one in case my enemies stole mine. I guess being prepared is my ninja way. Now, let's get into my shortcomings. I'm the second person in my family that has ever had any chakra. Yes, my family members are all normal citizens with no chakra whatsoever. The first person to get chakra is my older sister Mary. We don't talk about her much though... Currently, she's 15 but already a jonin in the Anbu black ops. She was the best ninja in her class and graduated the academy when she was 9. Turned into a chunin when she was 11 and become a Jonin when she was 14. My parents were... well... that's complicated. They don't like Ninja at all. They view ninja to submit citizens and push them around. When my parents found out I had chakra... they weren't happy. I've never seen my parents look so... devastated. Being 5, I wanted to make them happy, so I told them I'll never use my chakra. I wanted to be normal, so they could be happy. Instead, my sister informed the ninja academy and enlisted me without telling us. When I turned 8, ninja came to our house and demanded my parents to hand me over. I didn't want to go but my parents forced me to. After that, I was in the academy without a real... want for it. The other students were so happy to be there while I... just kept to myself. I didn't have any friends and my old friends were normal, so they didn't want anything to do with me. My parents never looked at me the same again. They hated me for being like my sister and having chakra. The only times I've ever felt enjoyment was when they taught us history and math in class. That's the only thing I excelled at compared to the others. However, I was the worse in everything else. I found out when I was ten that I have only 40 % of the chakra reserves for a kid my age. That means I could barely do two clone jutsus before falling over exhausted. Once I learned that, I began to be strategic on how I use my jutsu. On my spare time I'd practice my clone jutsu to shorten the amount of chakra needed. When I started, the clone jutsu took up about half of my chakra. Now, they only take up a quarter of my chakra. Chakra management... that's the key to my victories... or at least I thought it was...

"Ugh..." I groaned as I woke up in my tiny room and stretched.

My room was a small 6 by 3 foot rectangle with white walls and one tiny window. During the summer, this room becomes a sauna that nearly killed me six times. My bed is just a small mattress with a neat pile of clothes next to it. They're arranged as follows, boxers, socks, sweatpants, t-shirts, sweaters. My googles were on top of my socks so I reached over and grabbed them. Currently it's October so the days are relatively cool. With nothing else in my room, other than the wood flooring, there's a door.

My mother opened it as I slowly got up, "Breakfast is ready." she told me quietly before closing the door.

With a groan, I got up and started putting my clothes on, "Probably burnt toast again..." I muttered.

After getting dressed, I got out of my tiny room and walked down a small hallway. Our apartment was small, but it was home. It had two bedrooms, one being the smallest(Mine), one bathroom, and a Kitchen/Living room. The Kitchen/Living room was the room with the front door. It took up most of the apartment being 10 feet by 14 feet. I stood in the hallway looking into the room to see the door across from me. In the middle was a small circular table with four chairs.

"Hey, he's awake." My dad snorted.

My dad is a tall burly fellow in his early 40's. His once radiant black hair was now turning gray along the edges along with his beard and mustache. He wore a green and blue Sweater vest converted muscle shirt. To convert, he basically ripped off the sleeves to free his muscular arms. I glanced at my own arms seeing how they're still small compared to the other kids. His eyes are brown and teeth yellow from the cigars he smokes. He was currently reading the newspaper but folded it up and placed on the table before getting up.

"Dad... you know I never wanted to disappoint you... right?" I asked with a sad frown.

He gave me a sad glance before sighing, "I'm only half disappointed in you Rui. You're still our son... if we didn't care about you, we'd have kicked you out a long time ago." Dad responded.

I looked down sadly, "Does me being a worthless ninja make it worse?" I asked.

"No... it actually makes me think you wanted to be normal but... fate isn't kind to everyone." My dad frowned.

The table he sat at had a white and teal cloth covering it with four circular white plates. In the center was a large dish with toast, scrambled eggs, sausage and one piece of bacon. I looked to see mom was cleaning the dishes. Along the wall near the door was a counter with the sink and stove. Between the counter and door was our refrigerator. My mom was in her late thirties with long, still brown, hair. She stood at 5 foot 4 with a white apron on with a brown blouse underneath. She hummed to herself as she washed the dishes.

I took a seat and looked at the food, "Did mom eat yet?" I asked.

"No." My dad answered.

"Then I'll just take toast some eggs, and one link of sausage. I would like her to have the last piece of bacon." I smiled to make my parents happier.

They just shrugged, "Whatever you want Rui..." my mom whispered.

With a sad glance to my legs, I started taking my food. Dad got up and left to go to work since he's a construction manager. Currently, they were rebuilding a large apartment building that was destroyed by enemy ninja. From what I've learned in history, the seventh Hokage was able to finally make the shinobi world live in peace. However, during the tenth Hokage's rule, the ninth Mizukage ordered his ninja to try and take land from the land of fire. This led to a long conflict and the shinobi world was on the brink of war. However, this was avoided as the ninth Mizukage backed off due to threats from the Kazekage. Currently, our Hokage is the twelfth. He's an Uchiha named Iicha(Ee-cha). It's been 100 hundred years since the seventh Hokage's rule, but nothing has changed or advanced. When I think about it... why is that? Shouldn't ninja tools have evolved or something? Instead, we still have the same kunais and paper bombs. Maybe they're just too efficient to replace? Either way, I'm not going to figure this out.

"Oh! Are you going to be out training after class or are you coming straight back?" my mom asked.

"Training, why?" I asked.

My mother turned off the sink and dried her hands, "Because I have to talk to you about something. We received a notice today from the academy. Here." My mother pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to me.

I started reading it, "Hello, this letter is to inform you about Rui's poor performance at the academy. Although he excels as an intellectual, he's worthless when it comes to jutsu of all kinds. If he doesn't pass his next graduation exam, he'll be cut from the ninja academy as a failure. Now, I've never received any word of it but I believe Rui is a cheater on his tests. That is unacceptable and, if this is true, I demand that he comes clean. To make it worse, how can he be such a horrid ninja when his sister is a genius? Someone like that is completely worthless in the shinobi world but hey, he already is."

I felt my eye twitch as I felt my anger boil, "Completely worthless, eh?" I growled.

"Are you okay?" My mom asked.

"No. I'm angry. They flat out say I'm worthless." I spoke as I crushed a piece of toast.

My mom frowned, "If you fail... you'll disgrace us... you know?"

"Sigh... yeah... Mary would probably kill me, but I guess that'd make you guys happier huh...?" I frowned sadly.

I felt my mother hug me, "Sure... we hate that you're a ninja and treat you coldly but... we do love you." My mother whispered.

"Thanks mom." I hugged her back.

"Finish your breakfast. You have to leave for the academy in a few." My mother reminded.

"Oh yeah..." I sighed.

"You can do it. That is, if you're not a cheater like they say you are." My mom frowned.

"I've never cheated a day in my life. I have more intelligence in one brain cell than everyone in my class. I wish I could break the person who wrote this' face." I declared.

"Then go prove it." My mother shrugged.

I finished my breakfast and got up, "Fine. I will." I spat as I headed towards the door.

* * *

 **(At the Academy)**

I sat in the bottom front row on the left of the teacher. There were about 24 other kids in the class with our teacher being a chunin. He was a rather short fellow, standing at 5 foot 1 with light gray wavy hair and tanned skin. A strand covered his left eye a bit and his eyes matched the color of his hair. He wore the traditional flak jacket but had several names written on the back. Each had different hand writing skills to signify that a different person wrote it. Under the flak jacket was a plain green t-shirt under the green chest guard. For pants, he wore skin tight light green jump pants with knee guards to make a bump. For his feet, he wore open toe, steel grey, sandals.

"Alright everyone! Today, we're going to have combat training in preparation for the graduation exams next month!" he yelled.

Everyone yelled back, "Okay Menpai Sensei!"

Everyone got up and followed Menpai Sensei outside to the open field used for combat training. It had a large fence to encase it and I noticed some people were walking by. Most of the students in my class were about 11 years old while I was 13...

"Alright class. Who wants to go first?" Menpai Sensei asked.

One kid raised his hand, "I'll go first Menpai Sensei!" he yelled.

"Alright and... Rui! You can fight him. Surely you can put up a bit of a fight." Menpai Sensei teased.

I bit my tongue, "Yes sir..."

I went out to stand in front of this kid. He looked about 11 years old, standing at 4 foot 9. He had spiky red hair with a bit of orange to give it flare. He wore a red t-shirt with an orange flame on it. Bandages were tied around his fingers as if they were injured by something. His shorts were a deep blue as if to contradict the red. He wore blue sandals like Sensei's and had a wide grin.

"I hope you like getting your butt kicked. Especially since you're the worst fighter anyone's ever seen." He mocked.

"Save it for when you win." I sighed.

We held up our dominant hand with our index and middle fingers up, "Alright... begin!" Menpai sensei yelled.

The kid started making quick handsigns, "Fire Style! Burnout!" he yelled as he started blowing a large amount of fire at me.

Using the substitution jutsu, I dodged the attack and appeared behind him. He watched the flames die down and assumed he'd already won. I walked up behind him with a frown as he started laughing.

"That was way too easy!" he laughed.

"Uh yeah?" I kicked the back of his knees and grabbed his forehead, slamming my knee into the back of his head, "Way too easy. All ninjas can use substitution you idiot. All you burnt was a clone I had to make quickly." I panted.

He held the back of his head as he fell forward but turned into a log. I expected this and turned around as three kunai were thrown at me. Pulling out my own kunai, I deflected them. He ran at me and I tried to punch him but my arm when right through him. It was a clone and I barely saw him as he attacked me from behind. I turned and got punched across the face. I thought it was over, but I refused to let this kid win. Staggering from the punch, I reeled back my right arm and fueled it with chakra. He looked surprised as I smashed my fist right on his left cheek, throwing him back. He fell onto his back unconscious from my punch as I collapsed to my knees panting.

'How can that kid use fire style? Why does he get to have so much chakra?' I wondered in frustration.

Menpai Sensei walked over to us and helped me stand up, "Huh... maybe you're not completely worthless." He half complimented.

I scoffed and walked past him, 'Douchebag. He could have just complimented me by saying good job.' I thought angrily.

After combat training, we went to equipment training and my practice alone was paying off. I was nailing every target with shuriken and kunai. Everyone was surprised to see me doing so well and I started to feel confident. After that, we took a test on everything we've learned so far. I finished the test first and got a perfect score. After that, Menpai Sensei started to talk to me in private.

"Rui, we're giving you a shot. Next week, you're taking an early graduation exam due to your previous failure." Menpai Sensei informed me.

"Thanks! I'll pass it this time and show you that I'm not worthless!" I yelled.

Menpai nodded, "Alright. Make sure you train to be perfect for it. You'll need to make two clones at least as well as other things. You'll find out when you take it." He smiled.

"Thank you, Sensei." I nodded.

With that, he allowed me to go and I went straight to my training grounds to perfect my chakra use. If I do this, I'll be so happy that I proved everyone wrong.

* * *

 **-1 Week Later-**

"Alright Rui, are you ready?" Menpai Sensei asked.

To my surprise, it was only Menpai Sensei. Last time I did this, there were two other senseis here. I was caught a bit off guard until the door opened and three people came in. Two were female and one was male, all wearing the headband. The three of them went into the back of the room to watch.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"You'll find out once you pass the test. If you fail... you're expelled. Right now, it's pass or fail." Menpai sensei explained.

I took a deep breath, "Alright. Tell me what I have to do." I replied.

"Clone jutsu. Make two clones." Menpai sensei instructed.

"Alright." I made the handsign, "Clone Jutsu!" I yelled as two perfect clones appeared out of white smoke.

"Perfect. Now..." he made three clones appear, "My shadow clones are going to throw nine targets into the air. Hit all of them with either Kunai or Shuriken. However, you can't pull out the kunai or shuriken until the targets are thrown into the air." Menpai Instructed.

"Alright... I'm ready." I told them.

The shadow clones threw up nine targets simultaneously. I pulled out nine kunai and threw them at the targets as they fell. I missed one and quickly threw a Shuriken to hit it as it fell.

Menpai Sensei's clones disappeared as he clapped, "Perfect. You're already eligible to pass but here's one more. Do you think you can learn more jutsu other than those two?" Menpai sensei asked.

"Well... there hasn't really been another jutsu I can learn because no one can teach me. My sister never sees me, and my parents are normal. If someone tried to teach me, I'm sure I can learn." I answered.

"Good. Those three, are your new squad. The two girls are genin and the male is your jonin squad leader. This," Menpai Sensei threw me a headband, "Is your headband. You graduated. Congratulations." Menpai Sensei smiled.

I stared at the headband for a moment, "That... that was easy. How did I fail this before!?" I asked.

"You failed the most important test of all. Combat. You can learn the basics, but basics won't save your life in battle. How can you support your squad if you can't fight? If you can't kill the enemy before he kills you? If you lost against that red head, you'd have been a hopeless case, but you won. There was a fire in your eyes as you gave him that punch. That fire smothered his and knocked him out cold. Something I never noticed was your chakra control. Even with so little, you used it perfectly. You must have practiced every day to have that kind of control." Menpai acknowledged.

"I have one more question." I told him.

"What is it?" Menpai Sensei asked.

"How do I increase my chakra reserves?" I asked.

"That's the thing. The only one who's lowering your amount of chakra, is you." Menpai Sensei told me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You already know. Tell me, what is chakra?" Menpai asked.

"Chakra is energy shinobi use to power jutsu. It's created when two other forms of energy are molded together. The two types of energies are Physical energy and Spiritual energy." I told him.

"Exactly. You can increase those individual energies to expand your chakra pool. To increase your Physical Energy all you need to do is exercise and train. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness. To increase that, you need to study, meditate, and get more experience. However, I think your physical energy is what's keeping your chakra down. Work out more and it will increase with time. Now, go meet your new squad." Menpai sensei told me as he got up.

When he left the room, the male of the three approached me. He stood over me at 6 foot 3 with short silver hair. His eyes were a deep blue with a bandana to cover the bottom half of his face. His headband was tied around his neck to protect it. The bandana was black with shark teeth lined along the edges. His flak jacket had various stains from blood to mud. Cut lined the edges with black paint covering the right arm. His jacket was zipped up, but a green undershirt was exposed under the flak jacket. Our village's symbol was apparent on both shoulders and back. He wore blue jump pants with two pouches attached to them, one of each side. A front pocket had two small scrolls exposed. His shoes were gray with the soles being a deep blue.

"So, Rui, welcome to squad 3. Just call me Sensei." Sensei told me.

"You don't want me to know your name?" I asked.

"No. You may not be around long enough to really matter. Our last third member died. I hope that doesn't happen to you." he warned.

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 **(I hope this chapter is pretty decent. Please favorite, follow and review to support the story.)**


	2. Ch 2 Training Exercise

**Ch. 2 Training Exercise**

 **(Here's the second chapter where we're introduced to the team Rui is going to be stuck with... as well as their attempt to murder him with exercise.)**

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 **{Rui's Point of View}**

Sensei is leading me and the two kunoichi to a training area. The two Kunoichi were rather interesting. The Kunoichi to my left had long flowing black hair that extended past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep black, so I couldn't see her pupils. She wore a black cloak that covered her body with a fan symbol on her back. Her lips were soft and pink as she stared ahead with a frown. Her white skin seemed to glow from how well she takes care of herself. The bump on her chest leaves me to guess that she's a B cup. From her height, 5 foot 3, I'm guessing she's at least 13 years old. Maybe older while the other kunoichi was 5 foot 4. Her long hair is snow white with ruby colored eyes. On her neck was a black tattoo of fangs but her flak jacket covered it a bit. Her flak jacket was a lot thinner than normal, covering only her chest and upper stomach. A pink tank top was exposed under the unzipped flak jacket. Her breasts were an A cup by the looks of it. Her flak jacket had a grayish neck cover that extended up halfway to her chin. Being unzipped, her neck was mostly exposed with the cut in the t-shirt going to her cleavage that's barely developing. The flak jacket's arms cover past her hands to hide them. Probably a way to deceive her enemies into thinking she's unarmed. Her legs were covered by jean shorts with a pouch on her left side. That might mean she's left handed which is rather interesting. Her slim legs attracted a lot more attention than I expected so I looked at her feet. She wore black shoes to keep her from worrying about cleaning them. I guess being a ninja means we can't really care about shoes. All in all, these two seem rather... interesting. I rubbed my headband a bit as the silence between us started to get awkward.

I finally spoke up, "So... what's your names?" I asked.

"Layla." The white-haired girl answered.

The black-haired girl gave me a kind smile, "My name is Alexia Uchiha." She introduced.

"Uchiha... like our Hokage?" I asked.

"Yes. He's more of a distant cousin from me though." Alexia clarified.

"That's cool. So, what does it mean to have the last name?" I asked.

"Means you're a part of the Uchiha clan. The fan in our symbol," She showed me the fan, "We're gifted in the art of fire style, so the fan represents us fanning the flames. Not only that but the Uchiha have a special kekkei genkai." Alexia explained.

"Lucky... I don't have anything special..." I sighed.

Layla cut into our conversation, "Yeah, you suck. Hahahahaha." She laughed.

I went with the laugh and said, "Sorry but that's your job. I'm the one that likes the cat... if you know what I mean."

"Don't try to hit on me or else you won't be a male much longer." Layla said with a devilish smile.

"And on that note, I think I like you the best so far." I smiled to Alexia.

"Hit on me and I'll cook you alive." Alexia warned.

"Now I think I hate both of you equally." I frowned.

"Don't be a baby newbie. You listen to us and you'll live. The other guy didn't and... let's just say he became the first porcupine pinata." Layla smiled.

"Your... joking right?" I asked.

"Sadly, no. Our last male team member was kidnapped and impaled with a hundred senbon. Then they sliced him open and filled him with paper bombs. After hanging him, they waited for us to find him and... he exploded. I know he was already dead but..." Alexia looked down sadly, "He didn't deserve to die that way..."

"Well, it's his fault for getting lost. The dumbass couldn't find the bathroom let alone the way back home. In the end, it's his fault for being a hot head and running ahead of us." Layla snorted.

"...Are you two like...?" I asked.

"No!" They both yelled.

I looked at them both to see them glaring at me, 'O_O' "Uh... I was just wondering..." I shrunk back.

"I don't like this guy." Layla frowned.

"You don't have to like me. In fact, I don't think anyone likes me. Even my parents don't like me." I sighed.

"Why do you think that?" Alexia asked.

"They don't like me because I'm different from them. Even if I'm a hopeless ninja, they still hate that I am in fact a ninja. If I was born normal, they'd be happy and actually like me. Instead, I disappointed them..." I frowned.

Alexia put her hand on my shoulder, "Hey, maybe you'll change their mind." Alexia assured.

"No... they won't. My sister became a great ninja while I'm just a... loser. It's unfair that she gets to be a genius while I'm struggling to make three god damn clones. It shouldn't be difficult to make three clones, but I just have to have shitty reserves of chakra." I complained.

"You can change that though. If you want, I can help you." Alexia suggested.

"Eh, I think it'd be better to let him die. Then we can get a new teammate that might be gifted." Layla shrugged.

"Layla, we have an extra year of experience over him. We can teach him a lot and really speed up his progress." Alexia argued.

"I think just killing him off would be better. I sensed his chakra reserves and they suck. Those two clones exhausted him, but he was strong enough not to show it. Then he missed a target but luckily hit it with a shuriken. This guy has no skills, pfft, he's not even cute either. The only thing good about him is his brains and even that's not impressive." Layla insulted.

"I want to break your face, but a gentleman shouldn't harm a lady." I shrugged.

"Pfft, please. The only thing you can do is a clone jutsu and substitution. That's just... sad. I pity you. That's how sad it is. I have a kekkei genkai and other jutsu. I could beat you with my eyes closed." Layla insulted.

"What's your kekkei genkai?" I asked.

"None of your damn business." Layla grinned.

"Bitch..." I whispered to myself.

"Layla isn't the friendliest girl but she'll grow on you eventually. Don't worry about it. Until then, your welcome to train with me. Maybe I can teach you some jutsu." Alexia suggested.

"What's up with that? You always stonewall me when I want to hang out and check out boys. Now this loser comes along and your being nice? That's some BS Alexy." Layla frowned.

"Shut up Layla, I'm not like you and checking out boys doesn't help us in the slightest. I'd prefer to get stronger, so we can become chunin." Alexia responded.

"It's still not cool that you never want to hang out with me. Hell, you never even went to a bathhouse with me to just relax." Layla complained.

"Yes, I did, once. You know what happened? Someone decided to use transformation jutsu and go into the male bathhouse." Alexia reminded.

"I'm sorry! I'd never have been caught if I had known male members weren't supposed to be that big..." Layla blushed.

"...What the hell?" I wondered.

"Don't think about it too hard. Just know that she was banned from the bathhouse for about three months." Alexia whispered.

"So, she's a pervert." I stated.

"A damn proud pervert! Males should be flattered." Layla declared with her head up high.

"...Is she on some kind of medicine or what?" I asked.

"Or what, probably applies here." Alexia frowned.

"Screw both of you." Layla scoffed.

"Something tells me going on a trip with you both will be a bad idea." I sighed.

"What do you mean? Layla's the one that's a problem." Alexia reminded.

"Yeah... your right." I agreed.

"Hey, don't agree with her!" Layla complained.

"Can you three shut up!? You whimper like children after getting a scrap." Sensei yelled.

"Sorry Sensei..." We all apologized.

"What's his real name though?" I asked.

"He says he gave it up after becoming a Jonin. People who know of him, call him Dark. I've seen his Kekkei Genkai. The Dark Style that uses black versions of the elements. He killed three rogue jonins in front of us. It was really something to watch." Alexia answered.

"Really? That's... interesting." I frowned.

"Definitely more interesting than you." Layla sneered with a smirk.

I just shook my head with a sigh as we walked behind Sensei quietly. We eventually reached a large training ground with a marble grave naming those that died in a previous war. I didn't get to see which war as Sensei got our attention and pulled out a bell.

"You two remember this?" Sensei asked the two female kunoichi.

They both nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good. Layla, you get the bell." Sensei told her as he threw her the bell.

Layla caught it, "Wait, I get it?" she asked.

"Yes, you have to guard it from him. If he gets it, you lose. Do you really want to lose to him?" Sensei asked.

"Hell no." Layla declared as she jumped away from me.

"So... rules?" I asked.

"The rules are simple. Go after her with the intent to kill. That's the only way you'll get it from her. I'm not joking. You hold back, and she'll kill you." Sensei warned.

I swallowed hard, "O-okay." I stammered.

"What about me Sensei?" Alexia asked.

"What about you?" Sensei asked back.

"What should I be doing?" Alexia asked.

Sensei shrugged, "Do what you want."

I cracked my knuckles, "I did really want to break your face." I grinned.

"Same here. Except I will. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Layla declared.

Five Layla's appeared and teased me by holding out the bells, "That is not fair..." I growled.

They flipped me off, "Come and get it you bitch." She instigated.

'Ugh... how am I going to get the bells from her now?' I wondered.

I looked at Alexia to see her sitting on the grass relaxing. Sensei disappeared leaving just the three of us. Layla kept taunting me with curses and foul gestures.

With a sigh, I walked over to Alexia, "Hey... could you help me please?" I asked.

Alexia tilted her head for a moment before nodding, "Sure. I'll help you." Alexia smiled.

Alexia got up and looked at Layla, "That's not fair!" Layla yelled.

"How is 6 on 1 fair then?" I asked.

"It's fair because it started off 1 on 1. You can't just have her help you. That's cheating." Layla complained.

"No, it's not. Sensei said she can do whatever she wanted. That means she could help either of us." I grinned.

Layla glared at me and Alexia. Alexia disappeared suddenly as all five of Layla's clones were hit with Kunai. Layla gasped in shock as several kunai flew at her. Layla easily blocked them with her own kunai, making them collide and fall onto the battlefield. I readied my own kunai as Alexia continued to distract her. Then, a thought accorded to me. What if I trick her due to Alexia's distraction. I ran to the forest and quickly made a clone. I told the clone to sneak up on Layla as I sneak up on her through the woods. Layla was near the woods, but Alexia was in the forest as well. That's where the kunai were coming from until they stopped. My clone got Layla's attention as he began making fun of her. Layla in turn told my clone where to stick it. I started creeping out of the forest towards her until I jumped for the bells. Layla took one step forward and dodged my desperate attempt.

"Did you really think that'd work?" Layla asked unimpressed.

"I didn't. That's why I was plan A." Alexia grinned as she suddenly appeared behind Layla with the bells.

Layla looked at Alexia with a growl, "Ugh. I can't believe you helped this twerp."

"This 'twerp' is our teammate. The bell exercise is all about that remember? Honestly, he would have passed no matter what because he immediately asked me for help." Alexia smirked.

"Yeah? Well..." Layla looked at me with a glare but stopped talking.

"Remember, you were the only one that never passed this test but me and George got you to." Alexia reminded.

Layla sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose, "Yeah... fine. Welcome to Squad 3. Your first act, take your sweater and shirt off." Layla ordered.

"W-what?" I stammered with a blush.

Layla rolled her eyes, "We need to see how developed your muscles are. If what Menpai Sensei says is true, then the first thing you need to do is train. So, take it off." Layla explained.

I gave both a searching look before sighing, "Fine."

I took off my sweater and shirt, allowing them access to my bare arms. Layla examined them closely, feeling along my biceps and triceps before going to my back. She felt my shoulders and back to find little muscle there. She went to my other arm and chest before stepping back.

"He's right. You don't have nearly enough muscle to be a genin. Looks like these next few weeks are going to be grueling for you." Layla smirked.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"I'll tell you why." Layla punched me in the stomach, making me fall to my knees coughing, "Drop and give me a hundred pushups. Welcome to boot camp bitch." Layla whispered.

I looked up at the two kunoichi to see they were both serious, so I quickly got into the position. As I did my pushups, Layla took off her Flak jacket and placed it on my back. I immediately started to feel strain as her jacket weighed me down an extra 100 pounds. Still, I kept at it and got to 89 pushups before Layla stepped on my back and over me. I dropped, my face buried in the dirt as I panted hard for breath.

"You're not done! 11 more to go maggot! Then, it's on to 50 pull ups from that tree branch. Move!" I didn't budge until Layla kicked my ribs, "I said MOVE!" Layla screamed.

Panting hard, I forced myself up and started doing the 11 pushups. Alexia circled me like a hawk as Layla barked orders at me. When the pushups were down, I stood up and felt like my arms were on fire. My training along wasn't physically based and that explains everything. To expand my pool of chakra... I'll listen to these two. Alexia explained to me about chakra control and how we can use it. By controlling chakra flow in my feet, I was able to climb the tree with relative ease.

Layla looked dumbfounded, "B-b-b-b-b w-w-what? It took me weeks to do that!"

"He's very adept at chakra control. It's how he was able to use the little chakra he had effectively. Now, Rui, hang by your arms from that branch and do 50 pull ups using her shoulder muscles." Alexia instructed.

With a grunt, I did as they asked and hung from the branch. After my 20th pull up, Layla came onto the branch and waved her flak jacket at me.

"Oh god, please don't." I frowned as sweat dripped off my chin.

"Oops." She dropped her flak jacket right onto my left shoulder.

The second the jacket land on my left shoulder, it's evil 100 pounds immediately began to weigh me down. My shoulders were screaming in agony as I forced myself through it. After the 50th pull up, I was done. I dropped to the floor and land on my legs. I fell onto my back and panted hard as Layla took her flak jacket off me. Alexia helped me stand up as Layla directed us to a dirt clearing.

"Alright, now, 150 sit ups." Layla smiled.

"150 sit ups!" I yelled.

"Yep! With your favorite flak jacket on!" Layla chimed.

"I... This is my life now... I am in hell..." I muttered in horror.

Alexia made me lay down, "Calm down. We're helping you." Alexia smiled.

After my first sit up, Layla forced me to put on her flak jacket. I fell back down like a brick and it was a struggle to do the rest. My muscles started to give out at around 70 so I started using most of my chakra to go up. I got to 100 before my chakra ran out so I was down to my bit of muscle. Somehow, I managed to get through it but my entire body ached. Layla forced me to sit up and take her flak jacket off.

"I don't know why your exhausted. The jacket is only a hundred pounds you wimp." Layla shrugged as she put the flak jacket back on.

"You... you're not human." I panted.

"Or maybe you're a wimp. A weakling." Layla got in my face, "A worthless shinobi." Layla mocked.

With my chakra gone and muscles sore beyond belief. I just allowed her to insult me until Sensei came back.

"Is he already dying?" Sensei asked.

"No. Intense physical boot camp Sensei." Alexia smiled.

"You feel the burn yet?" Sensei asked with a humorous laugh.

"I think I feel my lungs committing suicide... yep. They're gone." I pretended to die.

"Hey, a sense of humor. George never had that." Sensei laughed.

"Yeah but there was always something charming about that." Layla sighed.

"...Were you and him...?" Sensei started.

"No! Heaven's no!" Layla blushed.

"Eh, if you were you'd have a mental breakdown of his pinata celebration." Sensei shrugged.

"Sensei... that is not cool." Alexia frowned.

Sensei scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah... he is dead so making fun of him would be disrespectful."

"Can I get some water?" I panted.

"Sure. There's a stream over there. Here, let me help you get there." Layla grinned.

"No! No no no nonono!" I yelled quickly as Layla grabbed my leg.

With a spin, she swung and threw me towards a nearby river and I landed in it. Aside from drowning, it was rather refreshing. I forced my body to cooperate as I swam to the surface and made it ashore. I panted hard and coughed up some water before hearing footsteps.

"Did you get a nice drink of water?" I coughed hard, "I'll take that as a yes. Was it refreshing?" Layla asked with a cruel grin.

"You... cough... your trying to kill me..." I coughed.

"Maybe but if I was trying, you'd be dead. Ninja life isn't easy dumbass. Trust me, this next month of training is going to suck. You're going to pray to god that we have a mission to skip out on training by the time we're done." Layla warned.

I looked at her, "Go easy on me please." I pleaded.

"Going easy is what got you here in the first place. You can't be laid back. You need to stay alert, be active, and better yourself for your sake as well as others. So, your parents don't like you, whoop dee doo. Once you're a ninja, it doesn't matter. Your fellow ninja become your friends and family. Once you realize this, you'll be a lot happier. Trust me." Layla lectured.

"She's right you know. Your apart of our family. Squad 3's family. Whether you like it or not, you're our squad mate and we'll make a ninja out of you even if it's out of broken bones." Alexia warned.

I panted as I forced myself to stand, "Fine. I get it. I'll get stronger." I agreed.


	3. Ch 3 Missions

**Ch. 3 Missions**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

It's been a month since I've become a genin. Every day has been a struggle from sunrise to sunset. The two Kunoichi on my team made me train my hardest. After day 3, I was forced to wear Layla's evil Flak Jacket for the entire duration of the training. Sensei began to teach me new jutsu as well as chakra concentration. The new jutsu I learned was the Shadow Clone jutsu. I was surprised by how much chakra it initially took to make one shadow clone. Even with my chakra reserves double what they once were, I could only make three shadow clones. The technique was forbidden but for some reason our sensei taught all three of us that technique. During training, I noticed Alexia was off on her own. She seemed to be perfecting her own jutsu. At the time I was sit ups by hanging from my legs on a tree branch. When I looked at Alexia, she turned into a bunch of crows. Shocked, I somehow stopped holding onto the tree and fell onto the ground. Layla started yelling at me since I had about 145 more to go. Alexia's crows flocked to the tree I was hanging from and recreated her on the branch. She looked down at me for a moment before letting out a humorous laugh.

I got up, "What jutsu is that!?" I yelled.

"It's my jutsu. My personal little secret." She chuckled.

"That's not fair." I groaned.

"Get up there and continue your sit ups! Plus, a hundred!" Layla screamed.

"Ugh!" I yelled.

So, I had to do even more of those sit ups followed by 200 pull ups. I feel like Layla is doing her best to get me killed from exhaustion. One day, she gave me one on one Taijutsu training... or as I like to call it, ass whoop simulator. Sad part is, my ass was literally the most bruised part of my body. When she'd flip me, my butt was the first thing to cushion the fall. What makes it worse, she wasn't even teaching me anything. She was just beating me up until I fought back angrily. She mostly laughed in my face as I did my best to block and counter her. Alexia watched until Layla beat onto my hands and knees. When that happened, Alexia stopped Layla from continuing. I panted with bruises all over as I tried my best to stand. Since Layla beat me to a bloody pulp, I couldn't and ended up passing out. I woke up the next day in the hospital and found my bruises gone. Sensei was there talking to a medical ninja before turning to me.

"How do you feel?" Sensei asked.

"Like a tree used as a punching bag." I replied.

"Are you able to walk?" Sensei asked.

"Here, let me try." I quickly reply as I swung my legs to sit up.

I stood up and stretched to see if anything is broken but I was fully healed. I told Sensei I was fine and he responded with a head nudge to the door. After that day, we started going on D rank mission 3 times a week. For the other 4, we would train... or I would train technically... Some days Alexia was helping Layla train me, other days she'd go do something else. I wasn't sure what but decided not to ask since it'd be rude. If I learned anything from my two female friends, it's that you don't piss off a kunoichi. Until I can kick their ass blindfolded, I'll be respectful towards them. I only wish Layla knew what the meaning of the word respect is. Layla has been nothing but a bitch to me with this boot camp bullshit. I'm thankful that she helped expand my chakra pool, but she needs to go kill herself. That, or change her attitude. Either way, I'm happy to say that my progress has been relatively quick. My chakra pool is about 5 times greater than it used to be. My muscles are toned and defined to keep my arms slim figure but give me reliable strength. One day I was flexing in my bathroom and the door was open.

"Damn, I look great!" I chimed.

"What... the hell are you doing?" My dad asked.

I looked to see my parents giving me the most confused look, "Uh... I was... posing..." I lied.

"Posing?" My dad asked.

"Yeah... I... Uh... might become a model if the ninja thing doesn't work out." I continued to lie.

"...I need a vacation." My dad sighed as he walked away.

"What? You don't think I can be a model?" I asked my mom.

"If you could become one, any male could." My mom sighed as she walked away shaking her head.

"...Well then. I should have just said I was flexing." I scoffed.

After the month went by, I started hanging out with Alexia on our free time. I didn't have any friends, so it was nice to spend time with someone who wasn't a psychopath. Alexia was a strange girl when she wasn't training or on mission. She stayed silent most of the time but engaged in conversation when she wanted to. She loved to eat dumplings and other sweets. One day she got 20 dumplings and when I asked for one, she snapped at me. I immediately jumped back and watched as she devoured the dumplings mercilessly. Jesus, if she could kill like she eats dumplings, I think our enemies are screwed.

Right now, we were walking in the Uchiha part of the village. After rebuilding the clan, it was located closer to the Hokage's quarters, near the center of the village. I could see their symbol proudly being displayed on building and bridge. The Uchiha people waved at us as we walked, and I've never felt so welcomed. At one point, the Hokage walked by us and I noticed him glance at me. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to smile.

"So, this is where your clan lives?" I asked.

"Yeah, there used to be more of us but most of our people died over a hundred years ago." Alexia told me calmly.

"It looks nice and your clan is very welcoming." I noticed.

"Yeah. We care about the leaf village. It's our home and to us, everyone's an Uchiha. That means we respect everyone, even people like you." She spoke aloud.

"People like me? Is that a nice way of saying I'm inferior to you?" I frowned.

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that. I meant shinobi or citizens that aren't Uchiha. I didn't mean to say it like that. Sorry." Alexia frowned.

"Everyone's eyes are the same except for a few people." I acknowledged.

"The Uchiha have very specific eyes. Anyone that's different, isn't an Uchiha but is either a friend or lover of an Uchiha. To repopulate our clan, we had to marry people outside our clan. The Uchiha gene can pass on even if one parent isn't an Uchiha. How do you think we were able to repopulate after nearly going extinct?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I guess that means Uchiha genes are dominant." I pieced together.

"Yes. Uchiha members have a large amount of Chakra reserves from birth and can use Fire Style effectively. Fire Style takes a lot of chakra to use, so it fits my clan very well." Alexia explained.

"When I think about it, I've never seen you fight for real. How good are you really?" I asked.

"Explaining it would be fruitless. You can't just explain one's skills to another. I can name jutsu but as for physical strength, speed and agility. That can only be shown. Plus, why the sudden interest?" Alexia asked coldly.

"Just trying to make conversation. Out of our squad, I feel most comfortable around you since your the only one not trying to killing me." I told her.

"So, your saying we're friends?" Alexia asked for clarification.

"Not really friends. More like Acquaintances. I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you." I replied honestly.

"Heh. That's probably a good thing. A ninja has to always be on guard in case someone tries to betray them." Alexia chuckled.

"Since we're talking about betrayal, do you think Layla is trying to kill me?" I asked.

"No. If I'm honest, I think she's trying to make you tough since your obviously not an idiot." Alexia shrugged.

"Why?" I asked.

"Probably because she doesn't want to lose another squad mate. The three of us joke about George but... we deal with his death in our own way. I took the experience, memorized it, and learned from it. Thanks to him, I can access my Sharingan." Alexia suddenly looked serious.

"Alexia? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes... just had a bad memory." Alexia panted for a moment.

"I'm sorry for causing you to feel this way." I frowned.

"It's not your fault. Oh! I just remembered. You're in the clear, no more Layla boot camp. She told me earlier, but I forgot to tell you sooner." Alexia remembered.

I allowed myself to let out a huge sigh of relief, "Oh thank god! I thought it was never going to end."

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." Alexia smiled.

"I nearly died twice!" I yelled.

"Twice?" Alexia asked.

"Yes! Twice! I was so exhausted one day that she just left me there. I couldn't move and ended up staying there until the next day. Layla gingerly walked over to me and waved breakfast in my face. I still drink faucet water because of that day!" I yelled.

"You were that thirsty?" Alexia asked.

"Yes! She refused to help me walk over to the nearby river! I couldn't move at all and basically begged her to help me." I groaned.

"Sounds like Layla. Did she end up helping you?" Alexia asked.

"Thankfully, yes. If she didn't, I'd have to wait for you or Sensei to come help me. Otherwise, I'd be dead right now." I sighed.

"Well... your alive. That's one good thing, right?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah... Sigh... maybe she'll stop being so cruel one day." I frowned.

"Once she's warmed up to you, she will. When it was the original three, god was she annoying. She tried to be the best out of us three and dragged us down. Sure, George was useless, but she was a short-sighted idiot. Always declaring that she's the best and tried to fight me. I remember the day that stopped because George punched her lights out. That was six months ago..." Alexia's voice trailed off.

I frowned and stated the obvious, "You miss him..."

"To be a shinobi, you have to suppress your emptions. To feel nothing as you do what your told but... how can I forget this pain? George was our friend. Our comrade. Sure, he was stupid, but he was kind too. He'd do anything for us... Maybe he didn't storm ahead... maybe he was trying to recon the enemy position to give us some intel. Instead, he became an exploding pinata. He loved Layla but never told her. He didn't have the courage to say it to her. Instead, he swallowed how he felt and stayed as our friend. I only found out three days before he died and when he did, Layla acted like it didn't matter. I wanted to hurt her. He loved her, but she didn't give an ounce of a shit about him." Alexia glared.

"Alexia... your eyes are red..." I noticed.

She looked at me in shock as her two dot sharingan eyes observed me, "This is my Sharingan. My anger towards Layla is what really unlocked them..." Her eyes went back to normal.

I frowned and looked down, "I know I shouldn't say this but... maybe his death was meaningful. By dying, he helped push you into unlocking your kekkei genkai. With it, you can protect your comrades more effectively. That way, no one will die like George did." I smiled a bit.

Alexia looked down sadly, "I'm sorry. I've shown too much emotion today... I'm going home. You should leave since we don't like sightseers." Alexia warned.

I frowned as Alexia walked on without me. I looked around to see everyone just going about their day. Taking her advice, I began to leave the new Uchiha estate and head home. On my way back home, it began to get dark, so I hurried back.

I opened the door to my apartment and yelled, "I'm home!"

When I got inside, I saw my father thrown over a table by my sister, "Mary stop it!" Our mother demanded.

Mary looked at me, "Oh, your home." Mary acknowledged, ignoring my mother completely.

Mary is 15 years old standing at 6 feet with long flowing black hair. Her eyes were Hazel with a hint of green. Her skin looked completely flawless except for a small cut on her chin. Her lips are thin and ruby red with a straight nose. Her body's physique is very slim with bumps where her muscles are. She wore a tight black jumpsuit with a steel gray flak jacket that covers her entire torso and down to her knees. Her Headband was tied over her forehead with strand of her black hair covering it. Her Flak Jacket didn't have a zipper, making it one piece with the leaf symbol on it's shoulders and stomach. Her Flak Jacket had two holders with four small scrolls in them. Her ninja tool pouch was attached to the flak jacket under her C cup breasts. Her shoes were steel gray as well to match her flak jacket.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Looking for you. Are you okay?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. Training has been rough but I'm still alive. How have you been?" I asked.

"Good. I brought you this scroll. Study it alone." Mary told me as she handed me a small scroll but didn't stop gripping it, "And I mean alone." She told me sternly as she finally stopped gripping it.

"Alright, you got it." I agreed.

"Good. Have a pleasant day." Mary smiled as she walked past me.

When the door closed, I immediately ran over to my dad, "Are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine but damn her." My dad coughed.

"What actually happened before I came home?" I asked.

"Mary forced us to let her in and demanded to know where you were. When your father replied that he didn't know, she threw him over the table." My mother informed.

I frowned and helped my father stand, "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked.

"Yes. I've suffered through worse things while building homes." My father replied.

"What's in the scroll she gave you?" My mother asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to find out tomorrow, until then, let's get dad in bed so he can rest." I replied quickly as I helped my father to their room.

"You're a lot stronger, I've noticed." My father acknowledged.

"Thanks. I've been doing a lot of intense training." I responded.

"Uh huh." He grumbled.

I frowned as I helped him into their room and laid him on the bed, "Thanks. Now leave us be okay?" My mother asked.

With a curt nod, I left the room and went into mine. I fell onto my bed and looked at the scroll. For a moment I wanted to punch a wall because my parents still dislike me even though I was worried about them. When will I change their minds for the better?

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

My squad was called to the Hakage's office to take our next mission. It apparently wasn't a D ranked mission which surprised and scared me. Iicha Uchiha kept his head down to hide his face. Menpai Sensei was there with the mission details. He seemed pleasantly surprised by my development. Layla acted like she didn't care about anything as Alexia kept staring at the floor as if to avoid looking at the Hokage.

"Today you'll be receiving a C ranked mission. The Kazekage asked us to send some ninja to his village in order to get an important scroll." Menpai Sensei instructed.

"How important is it?" I asked.

Iicha's Voice was deep and commanding, "It's not that important which is why it's a C rank mission. However, this is a good opportunity for you three to see another village. Jobs like these don't come around often so try to make the most from it. Also, while you're there, you represent the leaf village. Do not, I repeat, do not make us look like fools. Understand?"

We all nodded as Sensei said, "You got it sir."

With a bow, all four of us left and started talking amongst ourselves, "So, what do you think?" Layla asked.

"I think this is a good opportunity." Alexia shrugged.

"Yeah but I'm really nervous. This is going to be the first time I've ever left the village." I chimed.

"Don't get so excited Rui. Leaving the village opens us to new danger. The shinobi world is full of rogues and other horrid things." Sensei warned.

'Yeah... now let's see this scroll.' I thought to myself.

I purposely moved to the back of our group, so no one would notice. I opened the small scroll to find the hand signs to a new jutsu. Earth Style-Head Hunter Jutsu. Huh... I never expected it to be an Earth Style jutsu... How do I even do a specific kind of jutsu? The clone jutsu and substitution are so generic, but this is specific. I'll need to learn about Chakra Natures to use it. I eyed my three comrades... now... which one is going to teach me about chakra natures? I quickly put the scroll away, so no one would notice but Sensei looked at me.

"Rui, please walk with us, not behind us." He pleaded kindly.

I quickly ran up to walk between the two kunoichi, "Is everything alright Rui?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. Just got lost in thought." I replied calmly.

"Did something happen?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah, my sister decided to pay me a visit." I admitted.

"What did she want?" Alexia asked.

"To see me." I answered.

"Well that's nice. At least she cares." Alexia smiled.

I smiled back, "Yeah. It was nice to see her."

"Who's your sister?" Layla asked.

"Mary is her name. She's in the Anbu Black Ops." I smiled.

Both looked shocked, "Wait, you mean to tell me that your sister is an elite? How can that be when you're so... bad?" Layla asked.

"She was born lucky. I guess I was lucky to be born. Life doesn't work by making sense. It just does. In the end, it doesn't matter who my siblings are. What matters is the here and now. Currently, we're going on a mission to a desert. We probably should be focusing on that." I suggested.

"I am focused on that Rui. As your Sensei, it's my job to take care of you even at the cost of my life. Right now, we're all going to get prepared for the mission. Everyone, get your backpacks and pack clothes, water, and any kind of food with a lot of salt in it." Sensei ordered.

"Salt? Why salt?" Layla asked.

"By having salt in your body, you can retain more water to halt dehydration. That's why it's so crucial if you're in a desert to have salt." Sensei explained.

With that, he dismissed us, and we went our separate ways to get ready for now. I got a large backpack and filled it with eight bottles of water, a change of clothes, some plain salt, and salty chips. I don't really like salty chips but what I like isn't going to help me. With that all set, I left my room and told my parents that I may be gone for a day or two. When I regrouped with my squad, we were at the west gate and gave the guard our papers. Once that was all set, the gate opened, and we hit the main road. I really hope nothing goes wrong on this trip. I just want to have a nice relaxing vacation while on the mission. The two kunoichi were gossiping about something but I blocked it out, Sensei kept quiet as he took the lead and I stared at the sky. So... what's next for us?


	4. Ch 4 The Hidden Sand Village

**Ch. 4 The Hidden Sand Village**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

Our first day of traveling was ending. We didn't get very far because a traveler ended up getting stranded since his wheel broke. Sensei was able to fix it after going to a nearby town to buy a new wheel. The three of us had to guard the cart from Bandits. Luckily, no one tried to rob us, and Sensei came back with the wheel. While fixing the wheel, I facepalmed because I forgot to bring something very important, a sleeping bag. The Traveler was very grateful for our help and gave me one for free. To show my appreciation, I told him to come to me in the hidden leaf village if he ever needed a bodyguard. It was mostly a joke, but he took it very seriously by shaking my hand. With a wave, we headed off in opposite directions and I felt happy about helping him. I honestly don't understand what it really means to be a ninja. Initially, I thought ninja were a bunch of cool guys that kill people. However, all the D rank missions involved helping people. It felt good... I never thought I would be able to make so many people happy. It gave me... a new sense of light... you know? Sensei warned me that being a ninja isn't always so simple. One of us could die at any moment and they all have experienced that. Sensei must have seen hundreds of ninjas dying while the two kunoichi saw George die. I don't want to see that happen to me, ever. The four of us... funny... now that I think about it... I don't know if I can replace Layla. I think I've... gotten used to her...

Night started to fall so Sensei stopped us, "We'll camp here for the night. We'll reach the edge of the desert tomorrow. You guys set up these tents, I'll get the firewood." Sensei ordered as he threw his bag over to us.

Layla did nothing but watch as Alexia and I did everything, "You know, you could help us." I stated.

"Yeah... but I think I like seeing your cute butt when you work." Layla teased.

"Shut up, you pervert." I groaned.

"Guys, can we just get this over with?" Alexia complained.

"Only if she helps instead of being a lazy ass." I complained.

"Layla, can you please just help us?" Alexia begged.

"Okay, fine!" Layla groaned as she walked by me, slapping my butt as she did.

I squeaked before holding my butt and blushing, "What the hell!?" I yelled at Layla.

"Why are you yelling?" Layla asked calmly.

"You slapped my... Ugh. Screw it." I just continued my work.

"God, it's like I'm babysitting two five-year-olds. Layla, keep your hands to yourself and get to work. If not, I'm shoving a kunai where the sun doesn't shine. Got it!?" Alexia yelled.

'Damn, Alexia is usually very calm and reserved.' I thought quickly.

"Alright, Alright! I'm helping." Layla grumbled.

It took about twenty minutes for the camp to be done. Sensei came back with a few logs that he cut up into firewood. He used his bare hands to chop it up and I have to say it was impressive. Soon, he made a pile and allowed Alexia to use a fire style jutsu on it. The jutsu was a little overkill as it initially created a bonfire, but it quickly died down. The sun soon set, leaving us in surrounded by total darkness. The light from the fire was the only thinking keeping us alit. There were four tents and I decided to go in mine first.

"Turning in already? You don't want to hear the ghost stories?" Layla teased.

"Oh yes. A story from your demented mind would be the last thing I need to hear." I replied sarcastically.

"I think I'll turn in too. If I wake up earlier then you all, I'll be able to train until you all wake up." Alexia spoke up.

"Aw, you guys are no fun. I guess it's just you and me Sensei." Layla sighed.

"Alright, I'll start first. It was a dark and stormy night..." I blocked out Sensei as I climbed into the tent.

The Sleeping bag I got was a dark red with soft padding. The pillow was built into it so I didn't have to worry about that. The sleeping bag also had a zipper along the right side to made it have a blanket effect. That way people don't feel so restricted due to a Sleeping bag acting as a cocoon. With a yawn, I crawled into mine and started to fall asleep. In my dreams, I saw miles and miles of sand with nothing in sight. I guess our journey has invaded my mind and it's giving me some expectations. It's a giant desert though, so how many expectations could I have to start with?

* * *

 **-The Next Morning-**

I woke up with a yawn and crawled out of the tent and stood up to stretched. With a loud groan, I stretched until several parts of my body cracked or popped. Suddenly, I felt the urge to pee and thought about pissing on Layla's tent. Thinking of the consequences, I decided to do the smart thing and go into the forest. The others appeared to still be sleeping, so I guess I can use this time to do some training. While taking a piss, I heard something from nearby. It resembled the sound of kunai being thrown against each other. When I finished, I quickly fixed myself and crept towards the sounds. When I found out who it was, it was Alexia practicing by herself. Her full body cloak was tossed aside on the ground revealing what she wore underneath. Her breasts were tied down by wrappings with a pink tank top covering her torso. Her arms were covered with a slick black arm sleeve for comfort. Her hands were bare with a few wrappings around her wrists. Her black shorts were skin tight and covered down but stopped at the knees. She still wore her shoes and her pouch was placed on her right hip. Several targets were placed around the area with a few being in blind spots. The blind spots were behind either a tree and rock. I saw Alexia sigh as she jumped into the air and started throwing kunai that collided with each other to hit every single target. When she landed, every single one was dead center, and she stretched like it was easy.

I stepped out into the open, "That was awesome!" I yelled.

She looked at me uninterested, "Why? It's not that difficult when you know where the targets are. I placed them after all."

"Yeah..." I looked down, "I'm being a bother huh?"

"A little bit." Alexia shrugged honestly.

"Alright, the other two might still be sleeping so I'll go train somewhere else." I hung my head.

"Sigh... do you want to train with me?" Alexia asked.

"Sure, but I have a question." I told her nervously.

"What is it?"

"What exactly are chakra natures?" I asked.

"You're better off asking Sensei about that. The only one I can tell you about, is fire. Fire style is performed by molding superheated chakra inside the stomach before releasing it from the lungs and mouth. It consumes a lot of chakra but it's effective from mid to long range as well as against Wind style. To learn a certain nature, you need to have both an affiliation for it as well as someone to teach you. If not, you may end up hurting yourself because it blows up in your face." Alexia answered.

"Thanks Alexia. So, what do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Try to kill me." Alexia answered simply.

"Try to kill you? Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. I won't be holding back so you'll need to go all out. If not, I may unintentionally kill you." Alexia stretched.

"Alright, Shadow Clone jutsu." I made five clones appear and armed ourselves with kunai.

Alexia closed her eyes as we surrounded her. When she opened them, her Sharingan was on full blast. Three of my clones charged at her but ended up hitting each other as she disappeared. I felt the back of my legs get kicked as she twisted my arm behind my back with a kunai to my neck. I realized it was my own kunai and ended up staring in shock.

"With my Sharingan, I can tell which one is the real you. Not only that but you're still too slow with very little perception. You lost before the battle even started." Alexia whispered.

I hung my head, "I'm sorry for wasting your time..."

Alexia gave me back my kunai and helped me stand up, "You were never going to win but we'll try again. Once your eyes get used to my movements, you'll stand a far better chance. We've spent a lot of time training your body, now let's train your eyes. By using chakra in our eyes, it can help slow things down, so we can see everything more clearly." Alexia explained.

"I didn't know that." I stated.

"Now that you do, let's get you used to it." Alexia walked back to her starting position.

"Alright, tell me when." I replied.

"I'll start, now." Alexia ran at me.

This time I was able to see her but barely. By the time the kunai was at my neck, I started putting my arms up. Since I did a little better, Alexia nodded to me. She jumped back to her position and started it again. We did this for thirty minutes with each attempt being better than the last. On the final attempt, I was finally able to grab her wrist to stop the attack. I got distracted by this success only to get kneed in the stomach.

"Don't get distracted." Alexia warned.

"Yep... ugh. Duly Noted." I groaned as I got back up to my feet.

"You're getting better. I'm proud of you." Alexia smiled with a nod.

"Thanks. Was the knee to the stomach necessary? I think I'm going to feel it when I go eat breakfast." I complained.

"Speaking of breakfast, I'm hungry. Let's go back to the camp." Alexia suggested coldly.

"Alright, I'm right behind you." I replied.

Alexia put her cloak on and led us back to the camp. Sensei was cooking some food while Layla brushed her hair. They greeted us as we walked over to join them. After eating breakfast, we packed everything up and started walking again. The four of us walked for hours until we finally reached the desert's edge. When we walked onto it, I took in the sights. Nothing but mountains of sand filled my vision. The heat started to become apparent as we walked. Then, I noticed some of the sand shift as three ninjas came out of it. Sensei had us stay back as he observed these ninjas.

One of them, a man, approached us, "You're ninja from the leaf village, yes?" He asked in a raspy voice.

"Yes. We're on a mission to receive a scroll." Sensei informed them.

"We know, our Kazekage ordered us to lead you to our village." The man replied.

"Couldn't he have given you the scroll to make this trip faster?" I suggested.

One of the ninja behind him whispered, "He makes a good point."

"Well, he didn't give us the scroll but," Boom!

"Attack!" I heard someone yelled.

A group of bandits armed with battle axes, crossbows, and smoke bombs attacked us. A couple smoke bombs were used, causing me to lose my vision of the enemy. I only counted seven before the smoke bomb went off. There have to be more, however. I quickly focused my chakra and used Shadow Clone jutsu. I made four clones and ordered them to follow me as we ran out of the smoke. Metal began to hit metal as my squad and the sand ninjas fought against the bandits. With my clones, we got out of the smoke and were met with six bandits armed with either a battle ax or a few Kunai. The Battle Ax Bandits were dressed to show off their muscles. A vain attempt to intimidate their opponents. Generally, their skin color is either white or black with no hair on their body. Their torso is almost completely bare with two straps crossing over it with a holster on their back for the axes. They wore ragged shorts with bits of tears around the edges of them. Their shoes were cut open along their toes to expose them to fresh air. They stood at Six foot 7 with their arms muscles being extremely bulky. As for the Kunai wielding Bandits, they were relatively short men, standing at about 5 foot 2. Unlike the battle ax wielding bandits, they were extremely slim and weak. This allowed them to be swift and agile though. They were dressed like the Battle ax wielders except they had four equipment pouches filled with smoke bombs, kunai, and paper bombs. How do I know this? One threw a kunai at me with a paper bomb attached to it. I blocked it, but it fell onto the floor in front of me. One of my clones quickly tackled me away from it. As it exploded, my clone disappeared as the other three engaged the bandits. When I got up, one of my clones tried to block a battle ax with two kunai. The battle ax cut through both kunai with ease and murdered my clone. I pulled out 8 shuriken and threw it at the bandit. Since he was slow, he couldn't dodge but blocked a few with his battle ax. Two hit his right shoulder and one went into his left knee. A kunai wielding bandit tried to stab me from behind, but my clone blocked it with his body. I twisted as he turned into smoke and caused the bandit to look at me in confusion. I pulled out my kunai and stabbed the bandit in the stomach. When I felt his blood drip onto my hand, I flinched. This gave the bandit enough time to try and stab me. I pulled out my kunai and just back, dodging the kunai. I looked at my bloody kunai and realized that I never killed anyone. The bandit panted as he held his wound, his eyes defiant as he glared at me. I felt my bloody hand tremble as I began to understand the severity of the situation. I'll have to kill someone to survive. The bandit began to advance on me but got hit by a Fireball, instantly screaming in pain as he died. I turned towards where the Fireball came from to see Alexia.

"You can't get distracted. You were bound to kill someone one day. That is something a ninja must have the strength to do. If you can't then your enemy will only come back stronger." Alexia warned.

"But... I'm not sure if I can really kill someone like..." I looked at the bandit's burning corpse, "That..."

"Don't be a pussy!" Layla yelled as she slit a Battle ax wielding bandit's throat.

A swift bandit threw a smoke bomb at me. He charged at me through the thick of the smoke and threw some kunai at me. I blocked two of them, but one hit my right shoulder. I grunted in pain as he suddenly tackled me onto the ground. The kunai in my shoulder started to move, cutting deeper. I looked up at the bandit as he tried to stab me with a kunai. I grabbed both of his wrists and struggled against him. The kunai in my shoulder made it harder to focus since he caused me a great amount of pain. I pushed back against the bandit until I made him stab himself in the throat with the kunai.

'Ugh.' I groaned in my head as his blood spilled all over me.

I forced him off me and pulled out the kunai. At this point I couldn't tell which blood is mine. When I got to my feet, I heard a war cry as an Ax wielding bandit charged at me. He tried to hit me with a vertical slash, but I sidestepped it and used the kunai I pulled out to slash his throat.

When he dropped to the floor, holding his bleeding throat, I suddenly thought, 'Huh... that actually wasn't that hard.'

I saw that the bandits were running away, and Sensei ran over to me, "Where are you hurt!?" he demanded.

"My shoulder. Most of this blood isn't mine." I panted.

"We'll bring you to the village posthaste. Our medical ninja will heal our wounds." A sand ninja told us.

We quickly followed the sand ninja to the hidden sand ninja. On the way there, my right shoulder began to heal with the sun making my blood harden. It took about six hours for us to finally reach the hidden sand village. To be honest, I was rather impressed by how different the village was from the hidden leaf village. To protect the buildings from the sand, they tied blankets to protect the windows. The building was a large tube-shaped building with large square window along the top floors. The blankets can be manually pulled up or down depending on whether they were in a sand storm or not. They must not really care about their building though, because every building had this type of style except the main Hokage building. To be honest, it was just like our Hokage building but three times the size. We went to their medical building first, to get our wounds healed.

"Alright, you three wait here. I'll be back with the scroll. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Sensei told us.

Layla shrugged, "Alright."

"Scared you'll get sand in your vagina?" I teased.

"No! Stupid piece of crap..." Layla grumbled as she smacked the back of my head.

"Uh oh... looks like I was late. There's already sand in your vagina." I grinned.

Layla glared at me, "You want me to cut your balls off and ship them to your parents?"

Alexia got between me and Layla, "Calm down Layla. If it'll make you feel better, I have sand in my vagina."

We both stared at Alexia, "Alexia... you do know I was joking right?" I asked.

"Yeah... he was teasing me." Layla replied with a tone signifying how awkward the conversation became.

"Oh... I'm not very good at conversations, huh?" Alexia asked calmly.

Layla shook her head, "Why do I know you people?"

"You're not exactly a walk in the park either Layla." I sighed.

"Shut up. You want another three weeks of boot camp bitch?" Layla threatened.

"No thanks and even if you tried, I'd break your face." I threatened.

"Oh really? You want to go right now?" Layla urged.

"How about!" Alexia pushed Layla onto a bed, "We all just get along and calm down?" Alexia suggested.

"Know what? Alexia is right." I agreed.

"Of course, you'd agree with her. Your always on her side." Layla spat.

I was slightly confused, "What do you mean? Of course, I'd be on her side. Why be on your side?" I asked.

"Pfft... I guess you have a point..." Layla sighed.

"Hey... what's up with that tattoo on your neck?" I asked.

"This?" She revealed the fang symbol black tattoos, "It's a symbol of my clan from a land that... isn't around anymore..." Layla rubbed her arm sadly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The Land of Water attacked and took it from my clan. My mom was barely able to make it to the leaf village with me..." Layla sighed.

"If that's why you're so mean then you need to stop. The leaf village took you in and gave you a new home. If you should be mean to anyone, it's the mist ninjas." I told her.

Layla looked at the floor with thought before sighing, "Yeah... you're right..."

"I am?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll try my best to be kinder. No promises though." Layla told me.

I shrugged, "Alright."

"So... what should we do to pass the time?" Alexia asked.

"I want to know about Rui's sister. What is she like?" Layla asked.

"I don't really know much about her. Once she became a genin, I never saw her until recently. Even then, she threw our father over a table. I think she's psychotic." I answered the best I could.

"Well... maybe she'll spend more time with you once you've become a great ninja." Alexia suggested.

"Maybe... I'm slightly worried about how my parents will act towards me. They hate ninja and I think they truly do hate me." I sighed.

They didn't say anything as I stared at the floor. Sensei came back into the room with the scroll and dinner. After eating, we went to bed and I couldn't help but wonder. Why did the bandits ambush us? Hell, how did they know we were there?


	5. Ch 5 The Real Start

**Ch. 5 The Real Start**

 **(Thank you everyone for the love and the support, even if it's not much. I hope my editing is decent enough.)**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point Of View}**

"Wake up everyone!" Sensei yelled.

All three of us groaned as Sensei shook each of us. The Hidden Sand Village allowed us to stay in a relatively large room. It had four beds so each of us was able to sleep in our own bed. Alexia's head kept fall forward as she tried her best to stay awake. The ninja that talked to us yesterday entered the room after we all woke up.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." He told our Sensei.

"The Bandit attacked wasn't your fault. If it was, we'd be dead right now." Sensei replied.

"True but it was our responsibility to keep you all safe since you're our guests. If we were more alert, maybe we could have spotted the bandits before they attacked. Not to mention your genin getting injured in the battle. My sincerest apologies." The Sand Ninja bowed.

I looked at the Sand Ninja to see he was about 5 foot 11 with cloth covering his entire body. His flak jacket, pants and shoes matched the color of the sand. His head was mostly covered by some white garb with sun glasses to cover his eyes. On his back were two large scrolls attaches to his back. His hands were covered with bandages with a metal cover on the back that matched the same material used for headbands.

"Will your squad be participating in the chunin exams?" The Sand Ninja asked.

"I hope so but it's up to them." Sensei answered.

"True, I'm submitting my three genin. One should be here shortly." He told us.

"I'm here Sensei." A beautiful feminine voice spoke.

A woman with long orange hair with sparkling green eyes walked into the room. Her long orange hair is tied into a ponytail that extends down to her lower back. She stood at 5 foot 4 and looked around 16 years old. Her breasts were larger than Layla's, being at least a C cup. Her Flak Jacket covered her entire torso with a Dark Green color to it. Her flawless white skin and cute face, gave her a nearly irresistible look. Her slender thin legs just add to her beauty with extremely short green shorts exposing the skin. Her feet were covered by green shoes but looked smaller than normal. I could feel a blush develop as I found myself staring at her. She gave me a wink, making me look away a bit with an even bigger blush.

"That's cute but sorry, I'm taken." She giggled.

I fell over, 'God damn it.'

Alexia and Layla gave me a glare as Sensei laughed, "Hey, I'll give you this. Your genin is very attractive."

"Exactly. It gives her an extraordinary advantage over her enemies. She's a user of the Scorch style. It's her kekkei genkai." The Sand Ninja nodded.

"Yep." She blew a fiery kiss at me, "You don't know how many men I've killed with my kisses. They just seem to... melt, or in my case, mummify." She giggled.

I instantly swallowed and took a step back, "Thank you for saying that." I acknowledged.

She smiled at me, "You're our guests, why would I try to seduce and kill you? It'd be too easy. Your staring shows you've already lost." She winked.

I looked away with the blush, "Shut up..." I whispered.

"My name is Moeru. I'll see you all another time. I have to go spend time with my boyfriend before my next mission." Moeru giggled cutely before skipping out.

"Well she's... interesting." I noted.

"Oh lord, you like her." Layla groaned.

"So? She's attractive." I pouted.

"Don't rag on him for it Layla. When she tries to kill him, he'll wise up." Alexia spoke calmly.

"No, he'll be too focused on how 'hot' she looks. Then burn to a crisp like the dumbass he is." Layla countered.

"Maybe your just jealous that Moeru is better looking than you." I suggested.

Layla scoffed, "Pfft, what? How dare you suggest that!?"

"Seems like my genin has caused a big issue to ensue." The Sand Ninja frowned.

"It just occurred to me, what is your name?" Sensei asked.

"Jacob. Jacob of the White Sand if you're trying to be formal." Jacob answered.

"Why do they call you 'of the white sand'?" Sensei asked.

"I have a healing ninjutsu that transform an area of sand into white sand. It forces itself into the wounds of ninja to heal them faster. Very useful in large battle like yesterday. However, it consumes an unbelievably large amount of chakra." Jacob frowned.

"Even so, I think it's an amazing jutsu. I hope to see you again soon. Everyone ready to leave?" Sensei asked.

"Well... we haven't really gotten ready." We answered.

"Then get ready because we're running back home. If, by a small chance, the bandits were after the scroll. Then we need to get back to the leaf village as soon as possible." Sensei ordered.

"Yes sir." we answered obediently.

After getting ready, the four of us were escorted out of the village and ran to the edge of the desert. It took about 3 hours of running to clear the desert. When we reached the edge, we waved goodbye to the Sand Ninjas before running again. As we ran, we were attacked by the remaining Bandits. They were waiting for us in the forest, but we fought back fiercely. I killed four more bandits and started to feel so much better for it. Like I can take on an army and somehow survive. However, fighting another ninja is a completely different story. Learning from Alexia's example, I focused on seeing what the enemy is doing so I can effectively counter their assault. Sure, the bandits were slow but the practice in killing is what mattered. Moeru killed men with her beauty. Something to consider when fighting against female opponents. I won't like it but if I had to fight a woman, I'll need to keep focused on the task at hand. If I allow her beauty to blind me, then I'll lose my life before I can react. When the battle was over, 45 men laid around us. I was purely exhausted from the battle, so Alexia and Layla helped me walk. Sensei kept an eye out and I began to realize that he never used his jutsu against the bandits. He mustn't have needed to because of how weak they really are. Nightfall came, and we were two hours from the village. Sensei ordered us to set up camp and sleep until dawn. As I snuggled into my sleeping bag, I thought about Moeru and how dangerous she must be.

* * *

 **{Third Person Point of View}**

 **(Hidden Leaf Village)**

 **-Before Dawn-**

"Stay back!" Rui's Father yelled as he blocked the door to their bedroom.

"Paul! You can't fight them!" Rui's mother yelled.

"Runaway Filene! If you die, then my sacrifice will be in vain!" Paul yelled.

"But..." Filene teared up.

"Go!" Paul screamed.

Filene took one last look at her husband before jumping out their window. She immediately started running towards the wall of the village. It's where most of the ninja are stationed at night. As she ran, she had her left hand's fingers cut off. She held her hand to her chest in pain as she struggled forward. Then a mysterious figure appeared before her and sliced her right arm off. Shocked, she fell onto her back staring at the sky. Tears welled up in her eyes as a hand gripped her neck.

* * *

 **-Dawn-**

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

We woke up before Dawn and ran to the village as fast as we could. We entered the village without a problem and ran towards the Hokage building. However, on the way there, we heard a commotion and followed it. Everyone was gathered around a memorial in place for the soldiers who died in the past. A large silver spike stuck out of it and I noticed everyone was looking at the tip. As my eyes moved up, I noticed a thin bit of blood moved down the spike. Placed on the tip was my mother's decapitated head. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed with but one tear.

I started panting in panic before screaming, "MOM!"

I made to run towards it, but Alexia and Layla grabbed my arms to hold me back. I fought against their grips as tears filled my eyes. Sensei grabbed my left shoulder to try and comfort me a bit. I looked at it for a second before hanging my head and crying.

"Why? Why did my mom die? Why were MY Parents targeted! It makes no sense! I was just starting to think I was walking out of hell, only to get thrown that in it! Mom... Oh mom... She looks so peaceful..." I sobbed before wailing, "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MY PARENTS!"

"I don't know Rui, but I swear. I'll find out who killed them and murder the bastard myself." Sensei promised.

I didn't answer as I just kept crying because my mother was dead. I didn't really know if my dad was dead but if my mother is, then he must be. After I stopped crying, Layla and Alexia walked close beside me. We were going to see the Hokage to at least complete our mission. I needed to ask him what I had to do now. With my parents dead, where will I live now? How can I make them proud? All I ever wanted was to make them smile and finally acknowledge me. To truly acknowledge me as their son and love me. Instead, I'll have to live knowing my parents were never proud of me. That I failed them and myself. When we reached the Hokage, my face was covered in tears.

"I've heard the news." Iicha told us.

"Yes, we have the scroll." Sensei sighed.

"Not that news. I heard that someone's head was left of the memorial spike." Iicha clarified.

"My mother's head was on that spike. I just want to know why." I sniffled pitifully.

Alexia rubbed my back soothingly, but I stepped away from her, "Rui, you'll be okay." Layla told me.

"It's not about me!" I screamed.

"Rui, calm down." Layla frowned.

"Yes, listen to Layla. Getting mad at us isn't going to help you." Alexia told me.

"My parents are dead! I'm not mad at you guys! I'm mad at myself! The only thing I wanted was to make my parents proud. To make them happy! But that went out the window when I became a ninja. My parents hated ninjas and me becoming one because my damn sister cursed me. It cursed me to live behind a door I could never open. A door that separated me from my parents as they tried their best to live. Every single day, I could see it in their eyes. Secretly, they hated me too. I did everything I could. Everything. I would take my own life if it meant them happiness. Almost did once too because I failed the graduation exam. I wanted... no... needed to open that door! To break through and hug my parents! Now... I opened that door... and found two corpses that used to be my parents. I remember hiding in my tiny room, peeking out of a crack. I'd watch my parents live their day without me there to ruin it. They talked about how their children ruined their lives. How my birth completely shattered their hopes of having a normal life! Thanks to you guys... I finally started to progress as a ninja. I was finally beginning to become something more. I thought I could help people and make my parents proud that way! Instead, I found my mother's head on a fucking spike! To make it worse, she looked so peaceful in death, more than she ever did when she was alive! Why was that damn spike there anyways!? What purpose does it provide!" I cried, releasing every bit of emotion I had before collapsing onto the ground panting.

Iicha Uchiha sighed and got up to look out the window, "That memorial spike was placed there as a reminder to those who have fallen when the hidden mist attacked the village. Every person who died during that attack is written on the stone for which the spike is coming out of." Iicha Uchiha answered.

"I just can't believe they're dead!" I screamed.

Iicha Uchiha stopped looking out the window and walked over to me, "Then start believing it. As a ninja, you were going to see your own friends die in battle. Some in front of you, others when they're in a faraway battle. We can't let that break us. We need to look deep inside ourselves and find that inner strength we never knew we had. To strength to move on," He placed his hand on my left shoulder, "I know how you feel Rui. My parents were murdered as well."

I gasped, "They were?" I asked.

"Yes. After seeing my parents die, I awakened my Sharingan and promised to use it to the fullest. In the end, I became Hokage and use that experience to give me strength. The Leaf Village is my home, and everyone is family. I won't let more of my family just die and neither should you."

I looked down and away, "It's not that simple sir..."

"I can see it inside you. You're a good kid." I looked up at him as he pets my head, "You can become something great as long as you believe in yourself."

I looked down sadly and nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good. You did a great job getting the scroll. You should be proud of that at least." Iicha acknowledged before heading back to his seat.

Alexia and Layla looked worried, but I ignored them, "Sir... where will I live now?" I asked.

"There's an empty apartment in the Uchiha estate. You'll be able to live there for free." Iicha Uchiha suggested.

I nodded, "Thank you sir... I'll try to not be a nuisance."

Sensei looked at me before giving Iicha the scroll, "What was so important about the scroll? Bandits attacked us, and I believe it could have been because of the scroll."

"It's troop movements in the land of Thunder. They've been getting close to the borders as of late. Currently, we're keeping a watchful eye on them because they could attack at any time." Iicha answered.

"Thank you, sir." Sensei bowed.

"Don't mention it. Alexia, lead Rui to his new home if you please." Iicha instructed.

Alexia bowed obediently, "As you command sir."

"I just need to get my things from my old home." I sniffled.

"We'll help you." Layla told me.

"Thanks..." I sighed.

They followed me until I brought them to my small home. I noticed blood was on the floor of my parents' bedroom. A slash of blood on the wall signified a killing strike. I did my best to ignore it as I opened the door to my tiny room. It looked so normal and clean. Like it was untouched by the horrific events that happened here. Alexia and Layla looked around in wonder since they've never seen such a small apartment.

"Your room is tiny." Alexia stated.

"Yeah... it was the only place I'd sleep until recently. Now... I'll never sleep here again." I sighed.

"Don't worry Rui. You'll get through this." Layla assured.

"Getting through this isn't what concerns me." I stated simply.

"Then what is?" Layla asked.

"With my parents dead, you two and Sensei are my only family now. If being a ninja means watching your friends die and walking over their corpses... Then I don't know if I have the strength to go through with it. I don't want either of you to die. Layla, I hated you at first but... now I'm sort of used to you. I can't imagine going through training without you. If it wasn't for your severe methods, I'd never have been able to expand my chakra pool. For you Alexia, you're a dear friend to me. You're the only person I feel comfortable talking with. You can act cold and straightforward but you're also very kind. Sensei may not have always been there, but he was there when it mattered. I just... I can't believe any of this actually happened." I teared up.

I felt Layla grab my shoulder, making me look at her, "You'll get through this Rui. I believe in you. You're a survivor." She told me sternly.

I wiped my nose clean as I grabbed all my stuff with their help. We left and started walking for the Uchiha Estate near the center of the Leaf Village. The Apartment our Hokage told us about was a one-bedroom apartment with one bathroom and a Kitchen/Living room. It was almost exactly like my parents' apartment except a bit smaller with redwood flooring. The walls were white along with the ceiling and the doors of the house were sliders. The top half of the sliders were white while the bottom half was made of redwood. We placed my stuff around and they helped tidy up the place. When we were done, we started talking to change my mind's focus.

"So, Rui, what jutsu do you plan on learning?" Layla asked.

"I don't know..." I half lied.

"I could try to tea... never mind." Alexia sighed.

"What's wrong?" Layla asked.

"I don't think my clan will approve of me teaching him our techniques." Alexia admitted.

"I thought everyone was thought of as an Uchiha." I reminded.

"They are but we're not stupid either. We know that there are potential traitors in the Leaf Village. To keep them from stealing our techniques, we only teach it to our fellow Uchiha." Alexia told me blankly.

"They won't like me living here, will they?" I asked.

"It's not a matter of liking per say. Our clan leader has given you permission to live here. The rest will respect it and you. If you don't cause any trouble, you'll be welcomed here." Alexia clarified.

"Yeah... what if I date an Uchiha, will they teach me then? I think one was sharinganing my ass earlier." Layla joked.

I started laughing but Alexia stayed blank, "He wouldn't need a Sharingan to do that Layla. If he wants to stare, his normal eyes are sufficient." Alexia replied calmly.

"You can be a real buzz kill Alexia..." Layla sighed.

"I'm sorry for that." Alexia bowed.

Layla stretched a bit, "Ungh! Well, I have to go back home. Since I live alone, I'm going to have to prepare my lunch, shower, bed, and wash the dishes. Yaaaay." Layla chimed sarcastically.

"Ugh. Dishes. I have to do that when I get home today. What time is it?" Alexia asked.

"About 9 o'clock." Layla answered.

"That's plenty of time. Do you really have to go?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. I need some alone time after this mission. Bye." Layla waved as she left my new apartment.

"Well... it's just us now..." I sighed.

Alexia sighed, "Anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Not really. My parents are dead and the only thing that can heal that, is time." I answered.

Alexia walked over to me, "Crying is another way to feel better." She cupped my cheeks.

"I... I guess it is." I teared up.

"Don't worry. I have an hour to kill. I'll spend it here, letting you cry." Alexia whispered as she held my chest into her.

Not wanting to hold it back, I started crying into my friend's stomach. She held my head there and gently rubbed the back of it. I gently hugged her as my pitiful sniffled and tears came out. I wish I made my parents proud but now... I'll never have the chance.

* * *

 **(Please Review, Favorite, or alert the story. It really gives me a large moral boost because I love getting feedback from you guys. Plus, this is my first Naruto fanfic and most likely my only Naruto fanfic. I would like for it to be a good read for everyone.)**


	6. Ch 6 Moving On

**Ch. 6 Moving Forward**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

I woke up the next day in my new apartment. It felt so strange to be here... I got up and slid my door open before going into my empty kitchen/living room. Since I didn't have any furniture, I had to sleep in my sleeping bag. I didn't have any food or water after the trip to the hidden sand... Without money, I can't buy anything so what was the point of moving me? As I paced around my Kitchen/Living room, I heard someone knock on the door. I opened it to find my sister standing in front of it.

"I just got back from a mission and heard what happened. Are you okay?" Mary asked worriedly.

"Yeah... I just... can't believe this happened." I admitted.

Mary frowned and looked aside, "I can't say I miss them but I'm worried about you. With them gone, I'll have to take care of you." Mary sighed.

"So... are you moving in or something?" I asked.

"No. However, I was going to get breakfast, we'll talk about it there." Mary told me.

"We?" I asked.

"Yes, we. I'm taking you, my little brother, to go eat breakfast." Mary replied with a bit of an attitude.

"Sorry, I didn't think you would considering I never see you." I sighed.

"Well I'm here now, so get dressed." Mary ordered.

"Alright, whatever you say." I agreed reluctantly.

* * *

 **-20 minutes later-**

Mary and I went into a small restaurant near the front gate to the village. It was one of the few places in the village that had early morning meals. I sat at a table as Mary went to order our breakfast. When that was settled, she came back over to me with two cups of herbal green tea.

She gave me one, "So, do you still have that scroll?" Mary asked.

"Yes. No one knows I have it either." I answered.

"Good. When we're done here, I'm going to teach you how to use it." Mary told me in a harsh whisper.

"Alright... say... what chakra natures do you use?" I asked.

"Earth, Water and Lightning." Mary answered quickly.

"You can use three?" I asked.

"Yes, but only the basic jutsu. The secret techniques are still out of my reach, but I don't normally fight anyway. I have others that fight for me." She sat back and relaxed.

"Others that fight for you?" I asked.

"Yeah. Two people specifically. Right now, they're back at my home. When I go on a mission, they come with me." Mary shrugged.

Mary pulled out a tiny bag of cookies, "Why do they protect you?" I asked.

"Because they have to." Mary ate a cookie and noticed me staring at them. She put them aside as if to protect them and gave me a serious pout face, "I'm not sharing." she declared.

I shook my head, "Sigh, of course you're not. That's two girls that don't know what share means..." I whispered to myself.

"Oh, question. Have you killed anyone yet?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. A couple of bandits." I answered quickly.

"That doesn't count. Bandits are too easy. I'm talking about other ninja." Mary frowned as she ate a cookie.

"I've only been a ninja for about a month." I told her.

"I got my first kill the second week I was a genin. My squad was ambushed by a squad of Hidden mist ninja. I murdered one of the genin without a second thought. An enemy is an enemy no matter the skin color, reason, or creed. I will kill anyone that stands in my way." Mary snickered.

"I'm starting to think you're a psychopath too..." I whispered mostly to myself.

"Maybe slightly." Mary giggled.

I watched her check a nearby male ninja out, "You have a boyfriend?" I asked.

"Not yet. Hopefully I will soon." Mary smiled.

"That's good to hear." I smiled a bit.

"What about you? Any girl looks interesting to you?" Mary giggled.

"Ugh. No. Every girl I've talked to is either a psycho, stupid, or a real ninja." I sighed.

"What do you mean by 'real ninja' Rui?" Mary asked.

"Alexia and this sand ninja girl. Alexia is focused on being a ninja first and this sand ninja girl was hot but uses that to kill her enemies. Not to mention the sand ninja girl is already spoken for..." I frowned.

"I never got to ask, who's in your squad?" Mary asked.

"Two Kunoichi and our Sensei. He hasn't told us his name, so we just call him Sensei. As for the two girls, One's an Uchiha named Alexia and the other is a bitch named Layla. They're both a handful at times. Alexia can be awkward in normal conversations at points. Layla... just makes everything worse. She constantly rags on me and tries to act like she's better than me. She said she'll stop and do better now, but I just don't know." I sighed.

"Do you depend on them?" Mary asked.

"How can I not? They're my team mates. I see them almost every day. They do their best to train me and I appreciate it." I answered.

"Interesting. Well, after this, I'll be able to take you to my training ground." Mary smiled.

"Alright." I shrugged.

Our food quickly came, and I started eating it as quickly as I could. Mary took her time because she got a steaming hot breakfast sandwich. I, on the other hand, got pancakes. It was a food not generally seen here but a recent traveler taught our restaurants how it's made. I quickly fell in love with it because of its buttery taste with the syrup. When we finished, we immediately left the village to wander around the forest surrounding the village. When we reached an open clearing, Mary stopped us.

"Alright. This is perfect. Now, the Head Hunter Jutsu is Earth style. It's a kind of style that seems to reflect power and intimidation. However, Head Hunter is a special exception. It allows you to get the jump on an enemy no matter what. The reason? You come out from somewhere they least expected. Right under them." Mary explained.

"So what does the jutsu exactly do?" I asked.

"It allows you to go underground and grab an opponent's legs to bury them from the neck down. Here's an example." Mary smirked.

Suddenly she disappeared as a hand gripped my ankle from underground. I yelled out in shock as I was suddenly pulled down as Mary came out of the ground. I struggled to move but couldn't. I hung my head with a sigh until Mary kneeled to poke my headband.

"See, it can be useful for offense as well as defense. You can use this same technique to hide yourself from the enemy until they leave." Mary smiled.

Using the jutsu, Mary was able to get me out of the ground and I laid down, "Are you sure I can use this technique?" I asked.

"You're my brother, I can't see any reason why you can't. Just try it." Mary assured.

"Alright." I pulled out the scroll and opened it to read the hand signs.

I stood up and started following the hand signs exactly. I then focused my chakra and called out the technique. Then, I found myself buried in the ground with only my head sticking out. Mary started laughing at me as I hung my head and sighed.

"I hate my life right now..." I whispered.

"You used too much chakra. You need to cut it down a bit." Mary critiqued.

"Alright, can you get me out of here?" I asked.

Mary rolled her eyes with a happy head shake. When I was out of the ground, I tried to use the jutsu again. I found myself trapped underground, completely unable to move. I started to freak out as dirt started going into my mouth. Mary quickly got me out using the technique again. I sat down as she rubbed my back to help soothe me as I coughed.

"Cough, Cough! This is going to get me killed!" I complained.

"If you were alone, you'd already be dead. Don't worry though; your big sister is here. Try again but use a little more chakra and constantly exert it to allow yourself free mobility." Mary smiled.

"Alright, let's see if I'll survive this time."

I tried to use it again and this time found myself able to move and went up. Then... I shot out of the ground like a ball from a slingshot. I flew into the trees and got smacked up by the branches before falling. I felt my back hit a branch as it caught me. I hung there with my legs and head dangling.

"Are you okay!?" Mary yelled.

"Not really! I think I'm getting the hang of it though!" I yelled back.

I groaned in pain as I flipped onto my stomach and got out of the tree. I fell to the ground and hit the floor, stumbling forward a bit. I walked back over to Mary and panted a bit as I tried to use the jutsu again. I thought it wasn't going to work this time, but it did, and I finally performed the technique. I came out of the ground and pulled myself out.

"Good job. You can practice it on your own now. I have to go see if I have any missions, you'll be okay right?" Mary asked.

"I think so." I panted.

"Alright. I'll send you some money from my mission okay? I wouldn't want my little brother to starve." Mary chimed as she disappeared to jump from tree to tree.

Since I was left alone, I rolled up the scroll and began to head back to the village. I couldn't think of anything interesting to do so I just wandered aimlessly in the village. As I wandered, I noticed Layla was hanging around in an alley. I hid myself to spy on what she was doing. She used chakra concentration to attach herself to a nearby building and peek through a window.

I felt my left eye twitch before sighing and walking over to her, "Layla, what the hell are you doing!?" I yelled.

"Ah! ...Rui! W-What... what are you doing here?" Layla stammered.

"I was just wandering around and saw you. Why are you peeping through that window?" I asked.

"Uh... no reason. Oh hey, look at the time! I got to go!" Layla declared as she started running away.

'...Idiot. She was looking through that window to spy on guys. Alexia did say that she got banned from a bathhouse for transforming into a dude that obviously didn't look right.' I sighed as I continued to wander around aimlessly.

Without anything to do, I went back to my home. I was exhausted from practicing my new jutsu. If I get really bored, then I'll go back to my old training ground and work out. I loved that my slim figure wasn't becoming a bulky mess like those battle ax wielding bandits. I hate huge muscles. When I got home, I took off my sweater and looked at it. So many cuts and rips decorated my sweater now and that saddened me. This was my first and only gift from my parents. If I don't get it fixed, it'll be only a matter of time before it falls apart. Without any money, I can't get someone else to fix it. I put my sweater back on and ended up hugging myself in a corner. After an hour, I realized that I smelled horrible. With an angry sigh, I decided to go take a shower. I took off my sweater again and took an extra change of clothes. Being a ninja, there's a bathhouse that allows us to bathe for free. The place wasn't fancy by any means, but it was good enough. It was kept clean daily with there being little to no douchebags. As I walked in there, I quickly noticed a guy that didn't act right. He was staring at everyone and when he looked at me, he seemed surprised.

I approached him, "Don't I know you?" I asked.

"Uh no..." he coughed and gave himself a deep voice, "I mean, maybe. As a guy, we probably see each other here often."

"Layla... Get out." I told him calmly.

"...Shit." Layla cursed.

Layla quickly ran out of the bathhouse and I started bathing. I have no idea what her problem is, but it seriously needs to stop before it becomes an issue. If not, she'll end up being public enemy number one among bathhouses. When I finished bathing, I went back to my home but bumped into Alexia on the way back.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"No, it's... oh, it's you Rui. Didn't recognize you without your sweater." Alexia smiled.

I just shrugged, "I just took a shower and Layla was transformed into a guy. She was checking dudes out until I approached her. She didn't get caught because I didn't rat her out. Instead, I told her to get out."

"That's nice of you. I thought you'd get her kicked out immediately so that she would be banned forever." Alexia told me coldly.

"Yeah. It crossed my mind, but I thought about you and decided against it." I sighed.

"Thought of me?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. You were the one that said we needed to be-" I was cut off.

"Hey!" An annoying voice yelled.

I turned to see it was the orange kid. The one I fought back before I graduated. He wore a headband with a proud grin across his face. He had two other guys behind him with the headband as well. From what I could tell, he must have become a genin with these guys.

"It really is you. I want a rematch!" he declared.

I noticed he's at least three inches taller, "Why? The match we had didn't matter. Plus, I don't even know your name." I told him.

"Kyle. My name is Kyle and you better remember it!" Kyle yelled.

"Why should I remember it?" I asked.

"I want you to remember it because I'm your rival!" Kyle yelled.

"First off, Stop yelling. These people don't need to hear your precum voice. Second, I'm not your rival and I never will be." I told him.

"Scared you'll be burned alive?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, quite frankly. We're shinobi from the same village. It doesn't need us to have such infighting. Yeah, we can have intense training but will being rivals help in any way?" I asked.

"It'll help me because that'll mean there's one more person I'm better than. Well... I'm already better than you since you're so weak." Kyle grinned.

"Last I recall, you got knocked out by one of my punches dumbass." I reminded.

"That's only because I was overconfident. Now, I know what you can do and I'm going to kick your ass!" Kyle yelled.

"Your still just an overconfident brat. I'm not wasting my time on you." I shrugged.

Kyle threw a few kunai at me. I quickly pulled out a few of mine and threw it at his. They collided and fell to the ground. Alexia crossed her arms and sighed.

"We can't fight here with all these people in the crosshairs." I told him.

"I don't care! Fire sty-" He couldn't finish.

Alexia forced his mouth shut by covering it as she forced a kunai near his neck, "This is over. Leave, now." Alexia ordered.

Kyle looked at her in shock before nodding and pulling back, "Fine. You're lucky this Uchiha chick was here to save you. Let's go guys." Kyle grumbled as they left.

"You didn't have to do that, I could have beaten him." I told her.

"Yeah, but that would have injured innocent people." Alexia told me.

"Yeah... Thank you though." I smiled.

"I wasn't sticking up for you." Alexia told me quickly.

"I know. Still, Thanks." I smiled.

Alexia shook her head and walked off, leaving me alone. I frowned as she walked off before stopping and looking at me. She nudged her head signaling me to walk with her. I quickly ran after her and started walking with her.

"Lonely?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. You?" I asked.

"I got into a fight with my mom." Alexia admitted.

"You? How? You're always so composed." I frowned in confusion.

"Only when I'm with you guys. With my family, I'm a lot different." Alexia shrugged.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"To keep my family problems from interfering with the mission. With the Chunin Exams coming up, I'll need a clear head." Alexia told me.

"Yeah... I'm nervous about that." I admitted.

"Don't be. If the three of us work together, we can get through it. With my Sharingan, I'll do everything I can to protect you guys." Alexia told me.

I looked down, "Alexia... I don't want to be a ninja that walks over his friends' body to survive. I wouldn't want any of you to sacrifice yourself to save my life." I told her honestly.

"I can say the same to you Rui." Alexia smiled.

"Thanks Alexia. You're a good friend." I acknowledged.

"Thanks. Hey, let's make a promise." Alexia suddenly said.

"A Promise? What kind of promise?" I asked.

"That we'll both survive no matter what." Alexia smiled with a head tilt.

"Sure. I promise. I hope all four of us survive." I hoped.

"Me too. If the four of us work together, we can become a powerful team." Alexia spoke calmly.

"Yeah... until I get better, I'll be nothing but a burden." I sighed.

"You're not a burden. We have a year's worth of experience. You came in late, so you have a viable excuse. If I'm honest, I'm impressed by your quick development. When you first joined us, you looked hopeless but now, I have faith in you." Alexia told me.

"Thank you, Alexia. That means a lot to me." I smiled.

Alexia smiled back, "Your welcome. Do you want to train with me?" Alexia asked.

"Sure. I need to get better at seeing an opponent's moves." I accepted quickly.

Alexia nodded and took me to the training field we first used. I looked at the river remembering when Layla once threw me in there. I almost chuckled at the memory now.

Alexia got my attention, "Ready?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

Alexia and I started our combat training. I wasn't doing well against her at full speed, but I did enough. She didn't use her Sharingan against me since Alexia didn't need it. The thing is... during the fight... I started to feel faster and stronger than I ever have before. As we fought hand to hand, her movements seemed to slow down enough for me to block. When it got to the point when I could counter attack, Alexia looked impressed. My Taijutsu skills were improving at a faster rate as well. I was happy about that until Alexia started taking me seriously. She began using kunai and smoke bombs, but I kept up with her. Then, Alexia tried to use Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu on me. Remembering the jutsu I just learned, I used my Earth Style Head Hunter jutsu to hide underground. Alexia looked around in shock until I copied my sister and grabbed her ankle. I quickly tried to pull her down, but I could sense something was wrong with this body. It must have been a clone and I soon found myself to be right. The body disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Alexia fell from above. I quickly jumped forward and scrambled to my feet. I turned to see Alexia hold six Shuriken and threw them at me. I dodged them all but couldn't stop Alexia as she ran over to me and punched me across my face. I fell onto my back and felt her pin me with one hand raised to punch me.

Then she giggled, "Looks like I win."

"Yeah. Good job." I smiled.

"When did you learn Earth Style?" Alexia asked.

"My sister taught me this morning. I'm surprised that it worked so well." I replied.

Alexia got off me and helped me stand up, "That was a good fight. I'm impressed." Alexia told me honestly.

"Thank you. Want to go grab something to eat with me?" I asked.

"Do you have any money?" Alexia asked.

"..." I stayed quiet.

"I'll take that as a no. I'll pay for it, but only this time." Alexia suggested.

"Okay." I nodded as Alexia led the way.


	7. Ch 7 Rogues

**Ch. 7 Rogues**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

It's been a week since my parents died... I've been coping with the help of my friends and sister. Layla hung out with me often and I found it quite surprising. Sensei was nowhere to be seen for a time until recently. He told me that we were getting another mission today. I quickly got ready and went to the Hokage quarters to meet my squad. Alexia and Layla greeted me kindly as I approached them. Menpai Sensei was there and looked happy to see me. I waved at him to say hi.

"Alright everyone. Today, we're giving you a B ranked mission in preparation to the Chunin exams. Your Sensei has already told us, you three will be participating." Menpai Sensei told us.

"What's the mission?" Layla asked.

"A village in the land of Fire has gone dark. No one's heard anything from the village and we want you to figure out what happened." Menpai Sensei told us.

"Now, this won't be easy because we think there will be Rogues in the area. Make sure your careful. We don't want to lose you." Iicha warned.

"Don't worry. If we work together, we can defeat anything." Layla told him confidently.

"Alright. Dismissed." Iicha told us.

The four of us quickly got our preparations made and went to the southern gate. The village was supposed near the hidden mist border. With the Rogue ninja in the area, I was worried we'll be ambushed. It all depends on the ninja's rank, so if they're jonin, we're going to have trouble. I still don't know how good Sensei is, but I don't want this to be a test. On the way there, we were on alert for any kind of movement. Alexia had her Sharingan active the entire time to observe our surroundings. At one point she spotted a trip wire and disarmed it. With this, we knew we were walking into a trap. We only wondered one thing; who was our enemy? I started watching our back since I was behind everyone. As I walked backwards, I swore I saw something jump between the trees. Even if it was a split second, I knew it was movement. I tried to tell them, but they didn't believe me at first. I'm not one to be an optimist but neither are they. Why would I lie about seeing movement? After an hour, we reached the village... or what's left of it. The village was completely drowned with only the rooftops showing. The bodies of its populace were scattered around the newfound coast and rooftops. I stared in disbelief as I began to wonder what did all of this. Nearby, I saw some bodies and went to investigate. They wore our headbands meaning other leaf ninja came before us and perished.

"Sensei! We have bodies of our own shinobi over here!" I reported.

He ran over, "Oh no... John... I heard he went missing a few days ago but I didn't think anything of it." Sensei whispered.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"Head back to the village. We came here to investigate what happened. Technically, we completed our mission and now-"

"Paper bomb!" Alexia screamed.

A Kunai with a paper bomb attached to it was thrown in front of me. Sensei grabbed me and got us away from the paper bomb before it exploded. We regrouped in the trees and looked around for the enemy.

"Can you see them?" I asked.

"No. They're using some kind of jutsu in order to hide themselves." Alexia replied.

Sensei started making hand signs, "Ninja Art-Chakra disposition."

I felt a dark wave of energy come off Sensei. He suddenly started looking around frantically. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"We're surrounded. There are eight ninjas hidden in the trees. 4 30 feet to the east, 2 50 feet to the north, and the other two are behind that tree." Sensei informed while pointing at a tree 20 feet from us.

"What should we do?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"We have to fight but I don't know what kind of ninja they are." Sensei told us.

Suddenly, we heard a large rush of water. It came from the north and forced us to jump into the trees. Once in the trees, we were attacked by the ninja. One tried to stab me with a kunai, but I blocked it with my own. I looked at his headband to show he was from the hidden mist village.

"You're not rogues!" I yelled.

He grinned at me, "Heh. Obviously, you idiot."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Sorry kid." He kneed me in the stomach and I flew away in shock, "Just following orders."

Layla caught me and helped me recover, "Thanks." I nodded.

"Don't mention it." Layla smiled.

Alexia joined us, "Why are Mist ninja here?" Alexia asked.

"They're obviously not here from a Spring Time visit." Layla growled.

Sensei soon joined us, "Don't worry. There's only one Jonin here. The rest are chunin."

"How can we beat them?" I asked.

"By giving me back up. You're not helpless Rui, you know that." Sensei told me with a glare.

I swallowed hard and agreed, "You're right Sensei. How can I assist you?"

"Do you have smoke bombs?" Sensei asked.

"Yes." I answered quickly.

"Good. Use them." Sensei ordered.

Without a second's hesitation, I used the smoke bombs to hide us. Thinking ahead, I made two Shadow Clones and told them to leave. The rest of my squad dispersed, leaving me in the smoke. I heard someone coming and found it was that asshole who kneed me. I dodged his initial attack and tried to punch him, but he caught my arm.

"Heh, you're really slow." he commented.

"Oh really?" I punched him square in the nose, breaking it.

He staggered back, holding his broken nose, "You bastard!" he yelled.

I heard two kunai get thrown at me from behind and ducked. The ninja in front of me dodged them as well. I started running away and got out of the smoke. I ran deeper into the forest with that one ninja chasing after me. I led him to a tree far away from the others and faced him. He landed a few feet away from me on a branch across from the tree I was in. He looked 16 years old with long blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin. His nose was crooked from being broken with blood pouring down to his chin. He glared at me angrily with his headband around his neck. His flak jacket was open, revealing the blue t-shirt underneath. His Flak Jacket's sleeves extended to his elbows but stopped there. They were ocean blue with blue green mixed in with his. Their village's symbol was all over the flak jacket like he was a mist supremist. His pants were black and slim with the traditional open toe shoes on his feet. I took the initiative and threw a few shuriken at him. He blocked them with some of his own shuriken and stared at me. He was waiting for me to attack so I jumped towards him. He jumped as well and when we collided, we blocked each other's strikes. We glared at each other for a moment before falling to the ground. When we landed, we both drew our kunai.

"We don't have to fight you know." I told him.

"Hah! Coming from the guy that broke my nose." He sneered.

"To be fair, you did attack me first." I shrugged.

"Yeah? Well screw you. Where's your flak jacket? Is the Leaf Village too poor to hand one out to their genin for protection?" He mocked.

"I don't need one. My sweater is all I need." I glared.

Yes... the gift from my parents... it's all I'll need. The ninja started making hand signs and I immediately threw my kunai at him. He immediately stopped casting the jutsu and dodged the kunai as he ran at me. He stabbed me in the stomach and I coughed blood.

"Heh! That was easy." He smirked.

I laughed, "Idiot. You're the second person to say that when they fight me." I told him.

"Hm?" He wondered.

My body disappeared, revealing myself to be a clone all along. My real body grabbed his leg and pulled him into the ground. I kneeled to his exposed head and pat it.

"I'm sorry." I told him sadly.

"Huh? Sorry?" he asked.

I sighed, "This is goodbye. Forever."

A paper bomb went off, causing a tree to fall towards us, "What!? No!" he screamed.

I walked aside as the tree fell onto his head, killing him. My clone, who set up the paper bomb, gave me a thumbs-up. I nodded my thanks as he disappeared, giving me back my chakra. I started running back to the others but found myself looking back at my first ninja kill. To be honest, I felt horrible. I don't know why, but I did. I knew he was going to die after pulling him underground. I wanted to spare him... I really did... but... Alexia's words made me go through with it. If I allowed him to live, he'll just end up killing me the next time we clashed. When I got back to the other, I found three dead mist ninjas. The other four surrounded my squad as they glared back defiantly. Since they had no Idea where I was, I attached a paper bomb to my kunai and threw it at one of the mist ninja.

He disappeared from a water style substitution jutsu, "The fourth one's over there!" I heard someone yell.

One the Mist Ninja used Water Style Water Dragon jutsu towards me. I jumped into one of the trees but wasn't prepared as a ninja flew by me, slashing my back with a sword instead of a kunai. I landed on a tree branch in pain and looked back and up to see the ninja holding a thin shortsword. I could feel my blood drenching my back from the wound. The ninja swordsman jumped at me but found himself hit with a Fireball. He fell towards the ground screaming as the flames consumed him.

Alexia landed by my side, "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Not really, he cut my back." I told her.

Alexia examined my back, "It's a deep cut. I don't have anything to stop the bleeding. I heard crackling and watched as Sensei started to use black Lightning.

"Lament Chidori!" Sensei yelled as he charged at a Water Dragon.

His black lightning cut through the water dragon as he ran full sprint towards a mist ninja. He never stood a chance as the black chidori pierced his chest. With a cruel rip, Sensei forced his arm out of the ninja's chest.

"Fall back!" I heard one of the remaining two ninja yelled.

"Sensei! Rui's injured!" Alexia yelled.

Sensei immediately jumped to us, "We'll need to run back to the village. The Medical ninja will be able to help him." Sensei told us.

"Wait, I can help him." Layla told us.

"You can?" Alexia asked.

"Yes. Sigh. Ninja Art-Cursed Stitching." She sighed.

I watched as the tattoo on her neck started to glow as a thin trail of symbols came out of it. The thin trail moved down along her right arm and to her fingertips before going onto my skin. Suddenly, my wound began to close with the curse markings acting as stitches across the entire wound.

"Layla... you have a curse mark?" Sensei asked.

"I'm sorry Sensei but that's none of your business." Layla glared.

"To hell it isn't! Who gave it to you!?" he demanded.

"My clan did, before they were murdered." Layla sighed.

Sensei was going to say something but sighed, "I'm sorry Layla. I didn't mean to yell."

"It's fine sir. Rui, how do you feel?" she asked.

"It burns but I'll live. Let's get back to the village so I can be treated properly but... thanks Layla." I smiled.

Layla smiled back, "You're welcome Rui."

Alexia helped me as we ran, or jumped, back to the village. It took us an hour to get back since we were going at full speed. When we did, Alexia and Layla helped me to the medical corps while Sensei delivered the news. After they healed my back and placed me in a hospital room, Alexia visited me.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Urk. Hi." I accidentally tugged on one of the real stitches I got.

"Layla will be here soon. I went ahead to check on you." Alexia told me calmly.

"That's cool... sorry if I worried you. I won't break my promise. I swear." I told her.

"Good." her smile deepened, "I don't think I'd be the same without you."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Well... with George's death... I tried to be cold... emotionless but your changing that. Being cold and emotionless will make me lose more friends than protect them. I remember learning that the mission is all that matters. However, if the mission means losing all my friends... then it's not a mission. It's slaughter. I can't lose you or Layla or Sensei!" Alexia teared up.

"Alexia... you're really out of character." I joked.

"Huh? Heh... yeah. I guess you're right." Alexia nodded.

"Heh, hahaha. Now that I think about it. It was really funny when you said you had sand in your vagina." I chuckled.

"Yeah. Say... what happened when we scattered during the smoke bomb?" Alexia asked.

Layla walked into the room, "One of their ninja followed me. They thought I was the real one, but I was lying in wait for my clone. When he and my clone fought, I used my jutsu to hide underground. When he thought he won, my clone dispersed as I grabbed his ankles and pulled him underground. With only his head exposed, I had a paper bomb my nearby clone place, go off. The tree fell on top of his head, killing him. Then I ran back to you guys." I answered.

"You actually killed a ninja?" Layla asked.

"Yeah. He was a lot like Kyle. Overconfident."

"I'm happy you were able to hold your own." Alexia smiled.

"Yeah... I'll admit it... I was worried about you." Layla frowned.

"Layla... what exactly is a curse mark?" I asked.

Layla shuffled uncomfortably, "Well... I don't know all the details about them but... I'll tell you two what mine is. My clan... when our clan has children... the older sibling falls incredibly ill. Then, the clan uses a forbidden jutsu to seal the sick sibling into their younger sibling. My older sister is... sealed inside me." Layla looked disgusted.

"What exactly does that do?" I asked.

"It allows her to live inside me and feed off not only my chakra but those around me. Since I have the mark, I'm able to use curse mark techniques. My sister can cause me to do... unsavory things. I think my peeping is a direct influence from her. While inside me, she becomes a conduit absorbing all this chakra so that when she's unleashed, she's basically a demon. I've never allowed her to come out, so I don't know what will exactly happen." Layla frowned.

I looked down, "I'm sorry for being so nosey Layla."

"It's okay... let's just avoid this topic. Alexia, I was amazed by your Sharingan. You were untouchable!" Layla exclaimed.

Alexia scratched her neck in embarrassment, "Well..."

A medical ninja ran into the room, "Rogue Ninja are attacking the village!" he yelled.

I tried to get up, but the stitches hurt me, "Shit. I can't fight like this." I groaned.

"Layla, you watch over him. I'll go help out any way I can." Alexia ordered.

"You got it." Layla replied as Alexia ran out.

"You think it's actual Rogues this time?" I asked.

"I think so-" Crash!

A Rogue Ninja crashed through the window, "Get on the ground or else!" he yelled.

"Not a chance you asshole!" Layla yelled.

The Rogue Ninja was a tall white male standing a 6 foot 5 with short black hair. His face was covered by a white mask with a blue swipe going across at nose level. Two thin slits were cut over the eyes to allow him sight. The bottom of the mask was cut in an upside-down U to reveal his mouth and chin. Tied around his arm is a Sand Village Headband with a cut across it. Instead of a Flak Jacket, his entire body was covered is length straps, vest and dark cloth. Even his hands and feet were covered by it. Due to all the leather, he must be heavily resilient to attacked even though ninja tools can cut through it.

The Rogue punched Layla, and sent her rolling into the door, "Arrogant piece of trash." he spat.

She laid there unmoving and he advanced on her, "Hey! Leave her alone!" I yelled.

He looked at me and grinned, "Oh? Then I'll start with you."

He walked towards me and pulled out a shortsword like the one the mist ninja's used. I watched in fear as he ran the blade up my leg to my stomach but suddenly stopped.

I saw Layla moved and barely caught her whisper, "Curse State-1."

Black Marking started to cover her body in pink light until it covered most of her skin. The markings resemble small sickles converging to make strange symbols. When she stood up, the Rogue Ninja turned his attention to her.

"Coming back for more? What? Mad I'm going to kill your little boyfriend here?" he mocked.

Layla's expression was blank as her head tilted ever so slightly before a twisted grin stretched across her face. The Rogue Ninja walked towards her and tried to smack her, only to get his arm caught. With a quick twist, the Rogue's arm was snapped causing him to scream as he fell onto his back. He held his arm in pain as Layla stared at him blankly. When he moved, she stomped on his left knee and broke it. While screaming, she forced both hand into his mouth. She started pulling his mouth open until I heard a dreadful snap. His jaw was broken and made his mouth just hang open. She grabbed his neck and seemed to squeeze before twisting it. With his neck snapped, the man was dead and stopped screaming. The silence that followed disturbed me the most. Layla poked at his body but since he didn't move, she lost interest. Her markings started to disappear back into her original tattoo. When back in, she sighed and looked at me worriedly.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?" I shivered.

"Yeah. It's a bit hard to control myself in that state. I wanted to kill him quickly, but I ended up doing this." Layla sighed.

"What'll we tell the others?" I asked.

Layla threw the body out the window, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Layla told me.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. If they find out about this, then the village might try to experiment on me or worse. Promise me you won't tell anyone." Layla declared as she gave me a determined look.

"Well..." She looked so determined... "Okay. I'll do it but only because you're my friend." I told her.

Layla's expression changed to happy, "Thank you! The only thing I wonder is why the rogue attacked this room specifically. There's no way it could be just coincidence." Layla frowned.

"Why would they be after me though?" I asked.

Layla picked something up, "This is why." she showed me what it was, "They're after your sister." she told me.

The picture was of my sister and I when we were eating breakfast before training, "Why? What could she have done to piss these men off?" I asked.

"I don't know Rui..." Layla sighed.

"Well this sucks. First my parents die, I get slashed, and now rogues want to kill me to get to my sister. Yeah... Ninja life is great they said. See the world they said. Get murdered by random people they said." I joked.

"Looks that way. Don't worry though. Alexia and I will protect you. I swear." Layla smiled.

I smiled back, "Thanks Layla. You're a good friend."


	8. Ch 8 Why Were They Here?

**Ch. 8 Why Were They Here?**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

The Rogue threat was dealt with quickly due to their small numbers. Why they were attacking was the mystery. I knew one must have attacked because of my sister. Alexia and Layla were talking to me when my sister came into the room.

"Mary?" I asked.

"The one and only." She smiled with two people behind her.

One was male while the other was female. The male was a blonde haired White man standing at 6 feet tall. A metal bandana covered his chin and mouth. His eyes were a deep silver color with a straight nose. He wore an open green jacket with a red t-shirt underneath. In his right hand was a Halberd with a straight blade. He wore torn jeans to cover his legs with blue sneakers. The woman on the other hand stood at 5 foot 9 with B cup breasts. Her white skin and long brown hair shone in the light. Her eyes were blue as well with her straight nose. She wore a zipped up red jacket with torn blue jeans like the guy. Daggers stuck out of her pockets with a Sapphire etched into them. While standing there, they looked so lifeless. They just stared straight and didn't breathe at all. Something wasn't right about them.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked.

"Your bodyguards... they look so lifeless." I told her.

"Hahaha. That's because they are." Mary smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"They're my puppets. They are dead." Mary smirked.

"You're a puppet master?" I asked.

"Nope. Far from it. I'm not telling you how I did it, so don't bother asking. Are you okay though?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. The stitches are holding up well, so I just need to heal." I replied.

"Good. I have a mission to complete. Bye." Mary waved before leaving.

Alexia came to my side, "Those puppets weren't right." Alexia frowned.

"I know. She even said they were dead. If so, wouldn't they decompose?" I asked.

"Yeah... wouldn't their wounds be present too?" Layla added.

"It doesn't make sense. I don't like your sister Rui. Something isn't right about her." Alexia told me.

"Yeah... I'm worried about her too. Did they find anything on who murdered my parents?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's like the people who did it, didn't exist." Alexia frowned.

"Damn it..." I sighed.

"When will you be able to leave?" Layla asked.

"In a couple days. Why?" I asked.

"I was thinking we could all go to the River and soak up a bit." Layla suggested.

"The three of us?" I asked.

"No, the whole village. Of course, the three of us you idiot." Layla replied sarcastically.

"Alright. I'm up for that. What about you Alexia?" I asked.

"After all this? Sure. Why not?" Alexia smiled.

"Then it's settled. I'm excited!" Layla chimed.

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

We were at the river where we first trained, "Are you sure your stitches are fine?" Alexia asked worriedly.

"Yes, they are. Come on." I told them.

"Aren't you going to strip down?" Layla asked.

I took off my sweater, "Boom. Done." I jumped in.

"Sigh... I didn't mean just the sweater but okay." Layla shrugged.

Layla and Alexia both stripped down to their bathing suits. Alexia wore a black Bra and Panties while Layla's were yellow. They both got in and we all just sat there enjoying the water.

"Aaaaahhhh. This is so nice." I smiled with a relaxed moan.

"Yeah. We just get to soak and enjoy ourselves." Layla agreed.

"Why not take off your shirt and pants Rui?" Alexia asked.

"Eh, too much work because of the stitches. If I tried to take them off, it'll only make my back stretch more. Then, if one breaks, I'll just have to go back to the hospital. So, just getting my clothes wet saved me the trouble." I explained.

"Heh. Remember when I threw you into this river?" Layla asked.

"Hah! Yeah. That was a nice throw though." I chuckled.

Alexia and Layla both wrapped an arm around me, "Ah. The three of us. Do you guys think we'll become great ninja if we continue to work together?" I asked.

"Of course." Alexia smiled.

"I don't see why not. Once we become Chunin, the sky's the limit." Layla smiled.

"I just wonder if I'll ever find love." I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Alexia asked calmly.

"Eh... I have nothing interesting to offer to other kunoichi." I groaned.

"Yeah you do. You have... um... Hold on. Give me a minute to think." Layla started thinking hard.

"Ignore her. You have your good looks." Alexia suggested.

"I look like a Squirrel after his home gets paper bombed." I frowned.

They both started laughing, "That's so funny." Alexia laughed.

"I got it! You have a good sense of humor!" Layla yelled.

"Wow Layla. It only took you three years, but you did it." I joked.

"My case and point right there." Layla giggled.

"I'm still nervous about the chunin Exams..." I sighed.

"Don't be. We skipped out last year's but not this year." Layla smiled.

"I think we can make it to at least the second exam. It'll be difficult to pass that exam though." Alexia stated calmly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Casualty rate is about 20 to 50 percent of the candidates. The second test is always extremely dangerous." Alexia told me coldly.

"You didn't have to be so cold about it. Still, we can do it. The other ninja has to be genin right?" I asked.

"Yes, but there will be genin there from every village with kekkei genkai. Those will be extraordinarily difficult to defeat in combat." Alexia replied.

"Well, we have you Alexia with the Sharingan, I have my curse mark and Rui's the decoy!" Layla chimed.

"Use me as a decoy and I'll tell every bathhouse about your peeping." I threatened.

"Ugh. Fine." Layla sighed.

"I'm surprised you're not staring at us Rui. Why is that?" Alexia asked.

"Don't want or need to. You two could kill me if I did something that stupid. Boobs or life... I think I'll stick with life." I shrugged.

"He'll be lucky if he married a normal girl and had children with her. They'll probably never become ninja." Layla added.

"You must think he's really bad looking Layla." Alexia noticed.

"Why say that?" Layla asked.

"You don't try to peep on him or anything. If you thought he was attractive, wouldn't you try to check him out since he couldn't kill you even if he found out?" Alexia inquired.

"True. I could get away with it but Rui's our squad mate plus I don't want him to think I like him or something." Layla scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, "Just when I thought you were starting to." I splash Layla.

She splashed me back, "Jerk!"

Alexia splashed both of us, "...Splash Fight!" I yelled.

We started splashing each other like idiots and it was a lot of fun. When it was over, we got out and I started laughing. With my clothes drenched, I had to basically air dry. It was getting really cold, so they started a few fires for me. Layla told me to stand in the middle of them. I asked if it was safe and she just called me a baby. Angry, I went between the fires and decided to meditate. As I meditated, I started noticing something was off about my chakra. Like it was being stolen and I guessed it was from Layla's curse mark. She did say that her mark siphoned chakra from not only her but those around her as well. When I finally dried up, we made the fires go out, so it wouldn't cause any issues. When we finished, we headed back to the hospital and I got my back checked. The Stitches were okay, but they stressed for me to relax. Taking their advice, I laid down on my hospital bed and fell asleep.

* * *

 **-Three Days Later-**

The three of us were summoned to the Hokage Quarters after I was healed. Sensei wasn't there and that's what caused me to be worried. It was only us and the Hokage with an Uchiha as his guard.

"I called you here today because your Sensei has gone on a mission. He won't be coming back for a while and I need you three to go on a mission." Iicha told us.

"Just the three of us?" I asked.

"Yes. I will send a Jonin to go after you three so there's no real problem. However, no Jonin is available at this moment. So, you three will go on ahead, alone. There has been a disturbance to the south of the village. Head there and examine the area. We don't know whether of not it's bandits or ninja. All we do know is that the road is one of our main trade routes to the south. Now, you can head there slowly to give the Jonin time to make it there, but you don't have to." Iicha instructed.

Alexia spoke up, "You've got it sir."

"Good. Dismissed." He told us.

With a bow, the three of us left and headed for the southern gate, "You guys think this is a bad idea?" I asked.

"Eh, it could be bandits." Layla shrugged.

"Or! It could be mist ninja trying to get revenge!" I suggested.

"That's a possibility too but let's be optimistic." Layla smiled.

"Optimistic? Since when have you been optimistic?" I asked.

Layla rolled her eyes, but Alexia spoke, "Let's just be on alert. If we talk amongst ourselves then we'll alert the enemy to our presence." Alexia suggested.

"Yeah, you're right Alexia. Come on Rui, let's just do our best." Layla smiled at me.

I smiled back, "Sure, why not."

The three of us left the village and jumped into the trees. We jumped at a quick pace but nothing to urgent. We wanted to give the Jonin more time just in case things go south. It took us 4 hours to make it to our destination. The Sun was high in the sky, so it was either noon or a little past noon. Layla and Alexia looked around anxiously for any kind of trouble. Then, I heard something sizzle as a Paper bomb detonated on the branch I just jumped on. The blast separated us and flung me into the forest. I hit my face against a branch and spun back flips until I landed on my stomach.

My entire body pulsated in pain as I slowly got to my feet, "Damn... that sucked..." I groaned before standing up, "Now... where is everyone?"

I heard a bush shake and turned to see a kunai thrown at me. I caught it and looked towards the bush it came out of.

"Come on out!" I yelled.

The bushes shook until a man stood up with a hidden mist headband, "You sure about that?" with a snap of his fingers, I found myself surrounded.

"Uh... wow... that's a lot of ninja..." I muttered.

There had to be at least 30 hidden mist ninjas, "Your Mary's brother, right? You see, we have orders to take you in because your thieving sister stole one of our weapons." He informed me.

"How do you know that I'm her brother?" I asked.

"Every village has their spies. Now, are you going to come quietly, or do we have to kill your squad mates?" he asked.

"..." I sighed, "I'll come quietly, just let them live please."

"You heard him boys, knock him out." The ninja called out.

A smoke bomb was thrown at me and I quickly realized it was poison. Within seconds of breathing it in, I started to feel weak. I fell forward onto my hands and knees. I tried to stay awake but soon succumbed to the poison and passed out.

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

When I woke up, I found my arms and legs tied behind my back. I was laying on the floor of a cave with a few torches to light it up. That ninja from earlier approached me. He stood at 5 foot 10 with half of his head shaved, the other half was short and brown. A large eye patch covered not only his left eyes but most of the left half of his face. His teeth looked sharper than normal with a scar on his right cheek. His wore a light blue flak jacket that looked like a normal jacket. His ninja tool pouch was attached to his left hip and three scrolls were rolled up and placed in a pocket over his right breast. His pants were light blue as well as his traditional sandals.

Then he spoke, "So, what do you know about your sister?" he asked.

"Not much. Why?" I asked.

"Well, I'd like to know if you've seen her sword." He shrugged.

"No. I've never seen it but I have seen her bodyguards. They're her puppets, she says they're already dead." I answered.

"Yes. She killed one of our swordsman and took his cursed blade. Takefumi, the cursed sword of the demon. It not only kills anyone if it cuts them but also can turn those it kills into slaves. It's extremely dangerous and powerful." He warned.

"Yeah, for you since she'll use it to kill you guys." I grinned.

"You think that's funny huh? Maybe we're using you for ransom, so she'll give us the sword willingly. Then we'll kill both of you." He growled.

"That won't happen. She's a true ninja, unlike me. A genius. She wouldn't just hand over the sword. Instead, she'd kill as many of you as she could with it. Then, if she finds me dead, oh well. She wouldn't bat an eye, like a true shinobi." I replied.

"So your saying your worthless to us." He wanted clarification.

I started to laugh, "To be honest, I was worthless to my village from the start. Even now, I'm not really worth a dime."

"Oh really? Then you can-" Blast, "What the!?" he turned to see my sister's body guards running into the room, "Worthless huh?" he shot me an angry glance.

"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you, bro." I shrugged.

The male guard with the Halberd ran at ninja with his Halberd. The ninja threw several kunai at him, but the guard didn't stop as they stuck into him. He stabbed his halberd into the stomach of the surprised ninja. The ninja turned into water since it was a water clone. The guard looked around until the ninja fell from above.

He had a sword extended downward and screamed, "Die!"

The guard gingerly looked up and extended his halberd up. The ninja stared in shock as he fell towards the halberd's tip rapidly. The ninja, at the last second, spun and swiped the halberd away. He landed on the floor and prepared for another strike but suddenly got shot. The shot pierced through chest, stunning him as the guard sliced his right arm off. The ninja's arm fell onto the floor with a squirt of blood. He staggered for a moment before falling onto his back.

"How could I... lose?" he asked.

The male guard stood over him and pointed his halberd at him. Then, he pulled it away, reached down and gripped his neck. With a quick swipe, he cut the ninja's head off and picked it up. The female guard came over and started to untie me. I never heard of anything being able to shoot someone like that. Was that this bodies' technique?

I heard footsteps as I got up and saw Mary, "Thank goodness you're okay." she smiled.

"These guys came after me because of you. Do you really have a sword nam-" I saw the sword in her hand.

"What? You mean the takefumi? Yeah, I have it but that's not important." Mary shrugged.

"These guys kidnapped me over it, I think that means it's pretty important." I frowned.

Mary pat my head, "Look, you're just a genin. Don't worry about it. As a jonin, I was always going to be a target with or without the Takefumi. You were a target from the very start Rui." Mary told me sternly.

"But I-"

"Plus, your Sensei is nearby and may need some assistance. I suggest you go help him before he gets murdered by the enemy." Mary told me impatiently.

"What about you?" I asked curiously.

Mary looked around a bit and answered my question, "I'm not here by coincidence Rui. I came because my mission demanded it. The enemies here have some Intel I need to bring back. They also reportedly stole a scroll because one of our ninja betrayed the Leaf Village."

I was a bit shocked by this, "Why would they do that?"

"Look, it's of no concern to you Rui. Leave, now. You're not being helpful standing around in here. Go help your Sensei before he gets killed." Mary repeated.

"Fine. I'll see you back at the village." I sighed as I ran past her.

"Yeah... I'll see you there..." I heard Mary say as I got out of earshot.

When I finally got outside and saw the sun, I realized how different the forest looks. The area was more like a swamp than a forest. This gave me the impression that I'm actually in the Land of Water. Maybe even the border between the two since I haven't really explored our ninja world. I jumped into one of the trees nearby and climbed to the top in order to look around. From the top viewpoint, I could see normal forest about 30 Kilometers to the Northwest. I started to go down until I heard an explosion, so I scrambled back up to look around again. Several Watery explosions erupted from the direction I chose to go towards. It's good to know I'm heading into trouble because I may find my Sensei there. I quickly got down and started jumping from branch to branch in that direction. During a jumping, I felt my foot brush something before hearing a Paperbomb get lit. It came from overhead, so I dropped downward to lessen the impact of the explosion. I still got hit by it though and flew downwards. I hit the dirt hard, making me bounce off it and roll sideways into the trunk of a tree. My stomach collided with it first, nearly bending me in half. I rolled onto my back, holding my stomach in pain until I heard shuffling overhead. I saw several shuriken fly towards me from one of the trees. I quickly rolled onto my hands and feet to throw myself forward. The Shuriken hit the floor and I got up to look around.

"Show yourself!" I yelled.

I held my stomach in pain for a moment, but my eyes didn't blink at all. I didn't dare to let myself get exposed to an attack from any direction. A man wearing the Hidden Mist Uniform appeared with a Goat like mask on. He held one hand on his hip and stared at me for a moment. I took the initiative and threw several Shuriken back at him. He disappeared, easily dodging them and reappeared on a nearby branch. He's fast... that means he must be at Jonin level so that mask isn't for show.

I analyzed him, "By that mask you must be the Hidden Mist equivalent of an Anbu Black Op."

"Or... I was an Anbu Black Op and decided to leave the Hidden Leaf Village." He told me.

"Why would you betray the village. It was your home! Shouldn't you care about it?" I asked.

"Care about it? Why should I care about such a... garbage village? The people there are so worthless and happy. The students are a bunch of egotistical idiots, not to mention hopeless. Any ninja that lives there will be mediocre at best, so I left. The Hidden Mist is going to destroy it anyways, so why stay there and get slaughter?" He asked.

"So... you're basically a coward?" I asked.

"If that's what a weakling like you will call it, then so be it." He spoke to me without any emotion.

I glared at him before saying, "No, you are a coward. I could never have stooped so low as you to ensure my own survival. Fighting to protect those you care about is the best way to die because it was purposeful. It shows you had devotion and love for your village. Something you obviously lack. In short, I pity you."

He did what sounded like a chuckle, "I'll admit. It's nice to see a young ninja with such... conviction. I never thought 'you' would have that."

"Me? What do you know about me?" I asked cautiously.

He started to take his mask off, "Well, it has been a little while since you've seen me." he chuckled darkly.

When I saw his face, my eyes widened, "No way..." I whispered.

"It's been a few days? Hasn't it Rui?" He grinned.

There, standing on the branch with the wind blowing his hair, was Menpai Sensei.


	9. Ch 9 Killing Menpai Sensei

**Ch. 9 Killing Menpai Sensei**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

 **-1 Year Ago-**

"You failed." My old teacher told me.

"I... Why?" I asked.

He didn't spare my feelings, "Pfft, 'cause you're not good enough. Look at you. You're below average in combat with pitiful chakra reserves. In short, you could never become a viable genin."

"..." I ran out of the academy crying.

I remember running into a forest and collapsing into front of a large Oak tree. I punched the ground in frustration and bawled my eyes out. I was frustrated from failing my graduation exam but mostly hurt from my Sensei's cruel words. I know I can become a ninja! I know it! And yet... I still feel like they're right about me...

I heard someone approach me from behind, "Hey, why are you crying?" A man asked.

I got up and wiped my tears before turning to face this man, "I failed my graduation exam." I told him honestly.

"Why did you fail?" He asked.

"My chakra reserves suck just as much as my combat skills." I admitted bitterly.

"What about your test scores?" He asked.

"Perfect..." I replied.

He took a step forward to stand in front of me and knelt, "Then you can become a great ninja." He smiled.

"I... I can?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes. You see, I was like you once. My chakra reserves were average at best, but my combat skills were lacking. However, I worked hard and became a genin on my next exam. You can do that too. I have faith in you." He smiled warmly.

"But... you don't know me..." I whispered.

He smiled at that and pat my head, "True but here's why I know you'll become great. We can give someone the best training and tools but there's one thing that can never be given." He poked my forehead, "This. Like a Kekkei Genkai your either born with intelligence or as dumb as a rock."

I felt a bit of confidence surge through me, "Do you really believe that?" I asked.

"Of course, I do. In fact, I'll be your new teacher at the academy. However, don't expect any special treatment, your just another student. Got it?" He asked.

"Yep! Thank you uh..." I didn't know his name.

"Menpai. You can call me Menpai Sensei." He smiled warmly.

* * *

 **-Present-**

"M-Menpai Sensei... this is a joke, right?" I asked.

"Have I ever been one to joke Rui?" He asked coldly.

"But... you were my teacher! My inspiration! How can you... I..." I was at a loss for words.

He put his mask back on, "I never lied to you Rui. I did always say that a ninja must do what he can to survive." He recited.

"I looked up to you! Even if you found it annoying..." I admitted sadly.

"...I never did hate that Rui. You were a good student. Smart, hardworking..." He looked up at the sky.

"We don't have to fight. You can come back to the village Menpai Sensei!" I pleaded.

He shook his head, "No. I don't want to go back but... I would like to see your progress. Show me... that potential I saw inside you." He ordered.

"...As you wish... Menpai Sensei." I whispered before making three Shadow Clones.

He looked surprised, "Shadow Clones... you have learned some new jutsu..." He mumbled.

"Yeah... I took your words to heart and trained hard with my new comrades." I replied with a sad frown.

"Don't look so sad Rui. We're going to find out if you surpassed me." Menpai Sensei spoke.

Two of my clones jumped towards him as I dropped a Smoke bomb. Menpai Sensei didn't hesitate to hit both clones with a kunai to the forehead. After they disappeared, I attacked him from behind, but he was ready for that. He spun around with a jaw shattering elbow, but I revealed to be a clone. I threw four kunai from the smoke but three were blocked by Menpai using his own kunai. The fourth one was important because it had a paper bomb attached to it. Menpai Sensei noticed at the last second as the bomb went off, causing him to use the substitution jutsu. I knew he was going to use that and looked around for him.

'I don't know how he fights... this could be bad...' I thought to myself.

"Wind Style-Vacuum Cut!" I heard from behind.

I heard a loud gush of wind approach me as I ducked underneath the attack. It kept going and sliced through a tree with ease.

'Well... he knows Wind Style... That's not good.' I thought to myself.

Several smoke bombs were thrown at me and clouded the ground with smoke. I jumped up onto a tree branch to avoid the smoke since it could be toxic. A horizontal wave of air shot towards me, dispersing the smoke cloud below. I jumped back a bit and fell to hang off the branch as the Vacuum Cut flew overhead. Menpai Sensei was standing where I was earlier but quickly got his ankle grabbed. He looked down in shock before a clone I secretly made earlier pulled him under the ground. On the back of my clone was a Paper Bomb that quickly went off, causing an explosion. I looked at the smoke cloud cautiously since he could have used a clone. When the smoke cleared, a tree trunk was blown to bits with an empty hole.

'I really really hate the substitution jutsu. Whoever came up with it, is an asshole.' I thought angrily.

Menpai Sensei stepped out from behind a tree, "Earth Style-Head Hunter Jutsu eh? So, you were the one that stole the scroll for that jutsu. I thought you were a 'good' ninja." He told me with a smirk.

"I didn't steal it. Mary gave it to me." I answered before jumping down to face him.

"I guessed as much. Think your Taijutsu skills are up to par?" Menpai Sensei asked.

"...Maybe." I sighed.

"You don't sound confident, oh well, time to find out." Menpai Sensei shrugged before running at me.

He lunged his right hand at me, towards my left cheek. I threw my arms up to block but found myself turned around. He used his left foot to kick my right leg and spin me around. He pulled out a kunai to twist around and slit my throat. I immediately dropped to a crouch and spun to the left, so my right leg kicked his arms away. I caught myself on my hand to push myself up into the air and threw several Shuriken at him. He got hit by them but ended up being a substitution log.

'I hate that damn technique.' I thought angrily again.

I heard a battle cry as Menpai Sensei jumped towards me with a kunai in hand. I pulled out another one and blocked most of his attacks. One cut my cheek below my left eye. We fell to the floor staring each other down before running full sprint. Our kunai clashed as I slid it forward and cut his left hand. He retaliated with a knee to my stomach followed by a jab to my left cheek. I spun around in a stagger before focusing back on Menpai. His right hand held the kunai as he waited for me to make a move. I ran forward and ducked as he threw the kunai at me. Upon looking up, he seemed to have disappeared for a moment. I heard movement from behind and barely dodged a vertical Vacuum Cut. Menpai Sensei jumped towards me, wielding a shortsword instead of a kunai. It had a weird distortion to it as I blocked with my kunai. I heard my kunai chip as his blade sliced through it with ease. I ducked luckily but felt him kick my back hard enough to throw me face first into a tree trunk. I got up as quickly as I could and threw a foot out. Menpai Sensei must've came in for the kill because my foot kicked his stomach. He fell onto his back but rolled back to his feet. I turned to him with a bloody nose adding more effect with my cut. I could feel my blood on my face but remained focused on Menpai Sensei. His blade returned to normal without any distortion effect. From my short observation I can only guess that he uses his wind chakra to make his blade stronger. Remembering how it sharpened the blade in order to cut through my kunai. That means he's able to channel chakra into the blade whenever he wants to. As a Jonin, he must have other jutsu as well, so I need to be aware of that... wait... How am I fighting him without a problem? If he's Jonin level, shouldn't he be faster and stronger than me by default? Unless he's buying time... If that's the case shouldn't he... Menpai Sensei ran towards me and tried to cut me, but I jumped over him, throwing two shuriken into his back. The body dispersed into a pool of water with my kunai floating atop it. I looked at the pool for a moment before hearing a crackling. I looked to see Menpai Sensei running at me with Lightning in his hands. I watched in shock since his chakra was visible and sounded like birds chirping.

"Chidori!" Menpai screamed.

He impaled my chest, but I used the substitution jutsu to dodge the attack. I threw a few smokebombs at him and began to feel the effects of the battle. My chakra is starting to run extremely low and I'll be vulnerable soon. Menpai jumped through the smoke cloud towards me with the Chidori again. I dodged it at the last second and grabbed his wrist. He tried to kick me but I blocked it with my own kick before jumping away.

"You've gotten better. To be honest, I'm proud of you. I always knew you were special. Ever since the first day we met." Menpai Sensei smiled.

I frowned and jumped to the ground, "I still want you to come back to the village Sensei." I admitted.

He jumped down to join me on the ground, "Sorry but that's not happ-" his ankle was grabbed.

I pulled him under as the body he spoke to disappeared, "Sorry Sensei." I frowned.

He struggled a bit, "I should have known you'd use the head hunter jutsu again."

"I don't have any other jutsu to use so... yeah." I shrugged.

"Heh. You didn't win yet." Menpai Sensei warned.

"Oh, I know. I'm just waiting for you to attack. Now... where's your real body this time?" I wondered aloud.

"Right here." He grinned.

"Hm?" I looked at him as lightning began to erupt from his underground hands.

Somehow, he was able to channel his chakra and make his Chidori break him free. The lightning destroyed the earth around him and allowed him to jump out. When he did, he seemed to pant as he stared at me. I noticed that I too was panting along with him.

"Lightning and Wind... How long did it take for you to master them Sensei?" I asked.

"I'm naturally attuned to Lightning... however... I'm still a novice to Wind Style. Vacuum Cut is the only Wind Style Jutsu I have. However..." He raised his right hand towards the sky, "I still have more Lightning jutsu." He smirked.

"Uh oh..." I mumbled.

"Lightning Style-Terra Shocker." He recited.

The Sky clouded above him as a Lightning Bolt shot down and struck his right hand. The electricity flowed around him and electrified the ground. I could see electricity moving between the blades of grass and dirt. That's something that shouldn't be possible...

"Hm..." I tried to think about it.

"Let me save you the trouble. During the course of our battle, my chakra has infected the dirt beneath us as a type of conduit. Every time you trapped me, I was able to release my chakra deeper into the ground. Now, if you try to use your Earth Style jutsu, you'll not only get paralyzed, I'll instantly know where you are." Menpai Sensei explained as he pulled out his shortsword.

Lightning began to crackle around the blade, 'Shit... now he's using lightning for his blade. To make it worse, Head Hunter is the only Jutsu I use that gives me an advantage... Wait... That's it!' I thought suddenly.

I made several Shadow Clones around me, "Shadow Clones again? You can't possibly think they be helpful." Menpai Sensei scoffed.

Most of them ran off into the forest around us, leaving me and five clones with Menpai Sensei, "I used up the last of my chakra to make these clones. However, I know I won't lose to you." I told him confidently.

Menpai Sensei ran at me, "Then prove it Rui!" he yelled.

We stood our group until he seemed to kick his speed up a notch. He circled the six of us until he started cutting across to hit my clones. Three were cut until I dodged an attack, allowing me to trip him. He fell forward, with my clones quick to attack him. They pulled out two kunai and tried to stab him, but he twisted with his shortsword. Not only did he block their attacks, he cut through them and destroyed my clones. He pointed the lightning covered blade at me and I just jumped up into the tree. He jumped up at me while his speed increasing again. I dodged to the side, earning a cut in my left arm but it wasn't too bad. Menpai Sensei tried to slash me but got hit in the back by two kunai. Staggered, he turned to see two of my earlier clones holding a wire. His eyes followed the wire as it wrapped around a tree before going towards us. I jumped to another branch and revealed a paper bomb behind me. He held up his arms and jumped back but the bomb never went off. Instead, three more clones attacked him from behind. He spun around to cut all three of them, but they revealed to have half lit paper bombs. Unable to do anything, the bombs went off and flung him back towards that earlier paper bomb. His back hit the trunk and he fell to a sitting position. He feebly looked up at me as I approached him with a kunai. He looked at his right arm to see half of it was gone. Where his elbow used to be is now just gushing out blood.

He looked at me with blood coming from the corners of his mouth, "Heh... you always did love paper bombs." Menpai Sensei remembered with a smile.

"I don't have any spectacular jutsu... Explosions are the only effective things I can use. I just have to lure them into the traps I laid. Like you did... Menpai Sensei... did you go easy on me?" I asked curiously.

Menpai Sensei did a half laugh before hanging his head, "Throughout the battle... I couldn't help but... feel proud of you. I guess that clouded my judgment until I couldn't go easy on you. I lost too much chakra. I used Terra Shocker, thinking it'd stop your only ace in the hole. Instead, you resorted to suicide bombing. Something I never expected from you but... you always were bright. Cough, if I never used Terra Shocker, I could have used Substitution to dodge the paper bombs." Menpai Sensei coughed up some blood.

"In chess... you sometimes have to sacrifice your pieces to win. As the King, I'll have to sacrifice everything if it means I'll win." I told him.

The paper bomb behind him started to light up, "It's not a dud?" he asked.

I stabbed him in the throat with a kunai, "It's a distraction. Goodbye Menpai Sensei." I whispered as I ripped out the kunai.

Menpai Sensei gripped his bleeding throat before falling off the tree branch. I watched as he hit the ground head first and snapped his neck. His body hit the ground shortly after, but his neck split apart. I watched his head rolled a bit before stopping with his eyes staring at a tree trunk. Blood pooled around his body from his severed neck. With virtually no chakra left, I began to wonder what I should do.

"Well... I don't know where I am but..."

"Rui!" I heard Layla yell.

I looked to my left and saw Layla appear, "Layla?" I wondered.

Alexia appeared next to her, "And me." She added.

"Sensei ordered us to go looking for you while he fought off the Hidden Mist Ninja. We came as soon as we saw that lightning bolt come down from the sky." Layla explained.

"That lightning bolt is from Menpai Sensei. I had to kill him since he's a traitor. I didn't want to, but he left me no choice." I sighed.

"You don't sound so happy about it." Layla noticed.

"I did just say I didn't want to kill him. He's the first person that seemed to have any belief in me. Even if he was a bit of an asshole as a teacher. Outside of school, he was really nice, or so I thought. Maybe he thought I'd join him and betray the leaf. Of course, I'd never do that." I shrugged.

"Did you check his body for anything important?" Alexia asked.

"No. I killed him only moments ago. I didn't think to check his body since he probably gave whatever he stole to the enemy. Although, it would be best to check his body before we leave." I replied calmly.

"I still can't believe you beat him. Your far from Jonin level of strength." Layla frowned.

"Thanks Layla. Your belief in me is staggering." I replied with a half frown.

"I'm just being honest." Layla shrugged.

Alexia dropped down and checked Menpai's body, "There's nothing of interest here. Except one scroll..." Alexia opened it and read the contents, "That bastard..." She mumbled.

"What is it?" I asked.

"He was planning on assassinating the Hokage." Alexia answered.

"When?" Layla asked.

"Tonight. Turns out, Menpai Sensei shadowed the Hokage and planned on killing him tonight." Alexia answered again.

"Well, we'll accomplish nothing if we just stand around here. We need to find Sensei and get home. If there was a plan to kill the Hokage, there'd be a backup assassin just in case the real one failed." I guessed.

"Rui, do you want to keep his sword?" Alexia asked.

"...I think I should. It'll be another weapon I can use in battle."

Alexia jumped up to me and handed me the shortsword in its sheathe. I examined it thoroughly now that I'm not in the middle of battle. The sword looked like a long black rectangle but when you pull on the grip, the sword slides out. The blade itself is about 8 inches long and I can feel it reacting to my chakra. I decided to hold onto the blade instead of trying to put it in my pocket. I'll figure out how I'll hold it when I return to the village.

"So... are you sure they'll send another assassin?" Alexia asked to which I nod sternly.

"Well... that does sound like something the Mist would do. Alexia, lead the way." Layla nodded towards her.

"Alright." Alexia agreed.

The three of us started jumping through the trees. Along the way, Layla gave me some bandages to wrap myself up as we went. It was, by no means, expertly done but it should help. When we found Sensei, He was surrounded by dead bodies of enemy Mist ninja. Some were burnt, others were pierced through the chest. One had the top half of his body completely blown off.

Sensei looked at us, panting slightly, "You found him."

"Yeah. Turns out Menpai Sensei was a traitor." Layla reported.

"Was?" Sensei asked.

"I... I killed him." I admitted.

"You killed him? How?" Sensei asked.

"I won't lie. I think he allowed me to kill him. Throughout the fight, I just knew he was holding back. In the end, he ended up using a large amount of chakra and couldn't dodge my last attack." I vaguely explained.

"You'll have to give me the details when we get back home. Come on you three, when we get back, dinner is on me." Sensei told us.

The three of us smiled at that and quickly jumped through the forest with our Sensei. I couldn't help but periodically look back the way we came. We never saw Mary, or her bodyguards and I have the sneaking suspicion that the Mist will try to attack again. They're not going to be happy about us killing their ninja, even if it's their fault. They're the ones trying to take our land and we'll sacrifice every piece to defend it. I just wonder what piece I am... I slightly hope I'm a pawn. You're only a pawn for so long until you die or become a powerful Queen. Either way, I'm happy to see my squad again.


	10. Ch 10 Oh Brother

**Ch. 10 Oh Brother...**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

After reuniting, the four of us head back to the village to report everything that happened. When I explained what happened to me, Iicha seemed to avoid it. Instead, he focused solely on Menpai Sensei and his potential role in the assassination attempt.

"Are you sure?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes. We were betrayed by Menpai and he is now dead." Sensei replied.

He scratched his chin a bit before sighing, "That's... disheartening. I just promoted him to Jonin level too... You, Rui, what do you think of this?" The Hokage asked.

"Um... I'm not sure what to think sir. It makes me aware that anyone, no matter how well you know them, could be a traitor. That's a pessimistic view though, I think treating everyone with suspicion will cause them to defect. I'm going to trust my comrades and hope they won't betray me." I answered truthfully.

Iicha scratched his chin and looked at his advisor, another Uchiha, "He's an interesting one." Iicha whispered.

His advisor sighed, "He's not important sir. What _is_ important, is making sure we're safe with the Chunin exams around the corner."

"Ah yes! The Chunin Exams. You three will be attending, correct?" Iicha asked.

All of us, except Sensei, "Yes sir."

"Good. I hope you make it far. I want to see how our Genin will fare against the other lands. If all our Genin fail, then that'll make us look bad." Iicha told us sternly.

Iicha stared at Alexia with an expectant look, "I'll do my best sir." Alexia bowed.

'He's putting a lot of pressure on Alexia...' I noticed.

"So, Rui, what was it like, fighting a Jonin for the first time?" Iicha asked.

"Well... it wasn't what I expected. I thought he was going to be a lot harder to defeat. Until I'm proved otherwise, I'll believe he went easy on me or just wasn't as experienced as I thought." I answered quickly.

"Who do you consider to be your best friend Rui?" Iicha asked.

"Pardon?" I asked for clarification.

Instead, Iicha just repeated the question, "Who do you consider to be your best friend?"

"No one sir." I answered with a curt nod.

"Do you have anyone you're interested in?" Iicha asked.

"No sir." I answered faster than before.

"Heh, well your still young. Sorry to ask such strange questions. I look forward to seeing you in the estate later. Maybe we can have some tea and talk further." Iicha looked down and started reading paperwork.

He seemed very serious about talking to me, 'Why? I'm not special like Layla or Alexia. He blatantly ignored Layla and I don't understand why. Layla doesn't care though... maybe that's why...' I thought to myself.

Iicha's Advisor spoke next, "You four can see yourselves out."

The four of us left the room and went outside before splitting up, "I'm going to train with Sensei. See you guys tomorrow." Layla waved before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Well..." I looked at Alexia, "Do you want to go do something?" I asked.

"I need to go train as well." Alexia turned to leave but I stopped her.

"Hey, wait. Why is he putting so much pressure on you?" I asked.

"He has high expectations on every Uchiha. He cares but he's also strict. We can't afford to be lazy and we need the Leaf Village to know that they can depend on us." Alexia told me.

"That may be true, but you can't work yourself to death just to please him. In the Chunin Exams, I'll do everything I can to help you pass. I swear. Even if I end up like George." I told her wholeheartedly.

She looked away, "I don't want you to do that. I don't want to see another comrade die." Alexia frowned.

"Then we'll train together," she looked at me, "After we relax for a bit. I'll buy you dumplings." I suggested.

She growled, "That's not fair. You only know that I like dumplings from that one time I snapped at you..."

"So that's a yes?" I asked with a smile.

"Fine. Let's go relax." Alexia sighed.

With a smile, we started walking to the Uchiha Estate to relax. My home wasn't exactly the nicest of places, so I suggested relaxing at her home. I would like to learn more about the Uchiha since they seem to have a long history like the other clans. After buying dumplings, Alexia started eating them mercilessly. This girl needs to relax. When we got to her home, we were greeted by her brother.

He opened the door, "Kuchime!" Alexia yelled in surprise.

"Alexia... what are you doing with a... boy." Kuchime asked darkly.

Kuchime looked at me and I noticed his Sharingan was activated with three dots instead of two. The eyes were intimidating along with him standing over me. He looked about 18 years old standing at 6 foot 1. His black hair is long and spiky along the edges, extending down to his back a bit. His bangs were cut to show off his forehead and keep his eyes clearly visible. He has white skin just like Alexia with a slim but muscular build. He wore a tight grey shirt with a collar that extends up half his neck. The Uchiha Crest is visible along the color and over the chest. His shorts were navy blue with the traditional blue ninja sandals.

Kuchime glared at me, "This boy can't be a ninja. Look at the way he's dressed. Where's his flak Jacket and sandals?"

I decided to speak, "I hate being generic. That's why I wear this. The sweater, sweatpants and sneakers allow me to be distinct. Different. I hate being a part of a group or trend. If people don't like that then they can shove a brick up their ass."

"Now he's disrespectful. I should warp his mind with a Genjutsu." Kuchime growled.

"Brother, please. I think you were the one being disrespectful to a guest." Alexia pleaded.

"How long will he be staying?" Kuchime asked.

"Twenty Minutes. That's it." Alexia told him.

Kuchime sighed and moved aside, "Fine. If father kicks him out though, don't get mad."

"I won't. Come on Rui." Alexia led me inside.

I looked at Kuchime, "Sorry for the intrusion." I apologized.

Kuchime rolled his eyes and closed the door, "I guess I'm sorry as well."

Alexia's home was a lot larger than I expected. It featured the traditional japanese home in anime with the open outside walkways and sliding doors. The Uchiha crest is proudly placed along almost anything of importance. It was most promptly displayed along the walls. The house itself has about eight rooms with a small yard around the land. A small pond with fish is visible from the front since the door Kuchime opened only allowed us onto the land. Not inside the building itself. Along the outside, I could see ashes from Fire Style jutsu being used. It must be from her parents' teachings. I wish I could have had parents to teach me unique jutsu. Her home is painted white with a blue tiled rooftop. The outside walkway reminded me of a balcony since it was a bit above the dirt with wooden fencing connecting to the support pillars. Alexia led me up two steps and walked around the balcony. Along the outer wall, the Uchiha crest went across horizontally. I never knew how much pride her family had in the Uchiha name. That must be why they're all pushing her so hard.

"You want to train over here?" I asked, pointing near the pond.

"Sure. That'll do." Alexia nodded.

We walked over to the spot and I looked around at the dirt and grass. There were pink and white flowers here and there but most of it was a sandy dirt. I could tell that it gave ninja good footing and allows one to have better balance. I looked at Alexia as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her Sharingan was activated.

Alexia raised her hand with two fingers extended, "Sharingan." She recited.

"Hm?" I wondered until I noticed something wasn't right.

"Release!" I yelled.

Alexia looked surprised since I quickly responded to her genjutsu. I threw a couple shuriken at her but she disappeared and reappeared overhead. I looked up as she threw some of her own shuriken at me. I pulled out Menpai's Sword and started blocking them with it. One got by and cut my right shoulder a bit but other than that, I was fine. Before falling to the ground, I threw three kunai at Alexia. She got hit by them and I got worried that I killed her. Until he exploded into several crows and my kunai fell to the ground. Then I felt a kunai to my neck.

"I win." Alexia whispered.

"What? How?" I asked.

"The moment you looked into my eyes, you were in the genjutsu. When you tried to release it, I made the illusion pretend to act like you broke it. This entire time, you've actually just been standing here." Alexia explained.

"But... my shoulder..."

"Is fine." Alexia finished.

I looked to see she was right and that there weren't any shuriken or kunai lying around, "I lost in a matter of seconds..." I mumbled in disbelief.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I wanted to work on my genjutsu and you helped me with that. Thank you." Alexia smiled with a nod.

"Helped you? That was a mockery, a joke and a waste of my time and yours." I heard Kuchime grumble.

"Brother, leave us alone." Alexia told him with a hint of aggravation.

"No. He's not worth your time. How can he be a great ninja if he's unable to break a simple genjutsu?" Kuchime asked.

"With practice. Plus, you know it's unfair to face a Sharingan user one on one." Alexia reminded.

"That's no excuse. Plenty of Uchiha died in one on one combat. Is he able to even use any spectacular jutsu?"

"Well..." Alexia went quiet.

"My point exactly. I'm able to use Earth, Water, and Fire Style. Is he even able to learn a basic elemental jutsu?" Kuchime asked.

"Of course, I can! I just need to be taught." I told him confidently.

"Oh really? Alexia, teach him the Fireball jutsu." Kuchime ordered.

"But... that's a technique only for-"

I heard a new voice, "Do it Alexia."

I looked to see a much older man looking at us sternly. He had short black hair with a tint of grey and black eyes. The skin on his face and hands showed scars and wrinkles to reflect his age. He looked about 6 feet tall and wore a grey long sleeved shirt with a black pajama overcoat that covered his body. His headband is tied around his right arm and the Uchiha crest was on the back of the shirt. He must have been Alexia's father.

"As you wish. Rui, here are the signs." Alexia started showing me the signs to the jutsu.

"Like this?" I asked.

"Yes, now build up chakra in your lungs. Feel the hot air mix in and burn your inside to make the flames. Now, force it out." Alexia instructed.

I did as she asked and forced everything out of my lungs. A small stream of fire came out at first but quickly grew into a moderately sized fireball. When it was over, I fell to my knees exhausted since that one jutsu used up about 45 percent of my chakra.

"Not bad for your first time. Tell me, what is your name?" Alexia's father asked.

"Rui. Rui Santos. Yours?" I asked politely.

"Hidan Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hidan bowed.

"The same to you sir." I bowed as well.

"Don't get too comfortable Rui. That jutsu is easy. When you do a fire style jutsu on a larger scale, then I'll be impressed." Kuchime warned.

"I'm not trying to impress you. Also, thanks for teaching me that jutsu Alexia." I smiled.

She remained neutral, "You still haven't learned it. We'll practice it another time though. You need to leave. I have more training to go through..."

"Alright... I did want to see your entire house, but I don't want to be a bother. Thank you for having me and excuse me." I gave her father a respectful bow before walking to the walkway.

As I walked by Kuchime, I noticed him glare at me with his Sharingan. I looked at his eyes for a second and could have sworn they were different. It's hard to explain but they weren't the three dots like earlier. They had a strange pattern to them, but he deactivated his Sharingan instantly. I didn't get to see what it was, but I do know it wasn't normal. Instead of saying something about it, I decided to stay quiet and left their home. Once outside, I began to wonder what I should do and decided to get some tea. I needed to relax, and my shortage of money left me with little options. An Uchiha owned Cafe is nearby so I decided to go there. Upon entering, I instantly felt at home because everyone was so kind to me. One man openly moved to let me sit down and I thank him with a bow. When I sat down, I ordered a nice relaxing mint tea. As I sat there, a Girl sat next to me and greeted me warmly.

"Hi! I haven't seen you before, my name is Naori. What's yours?" Naori asked with a kind smile.

I smiled back, "My name is Rui. I'm a Genin. I'm guessing you're a Chunin?"

I guessed that because Naori looks about 16 years old and stands at 5 foot 6. She has long wavy purple hair that extends down half her back. Some strands tend to cover her black eyes and her white skin has a beautiful complexion. She sports about C cup breasts under her light pink blouse. I couldn't see what she was wearing to cover her legs, so I just assumed shorts. Her headband is tied across her forehead and her feet had the traditional blue sandals as well. I guess the others will be stuck in tradition as well...

"Yeah. I became one last year. What about you?" Naori asked.

"Genin. I only became a Genin a month or two ago." I answered.

"How old are you?" Naori continued to ask questions.

"13 years old but I'll be 14 soon."

"What's your height?"

"No clue. Last I check 4' 11'' but that was a few months ago."

"Single?"

"Why ask that?" I laughed.

"Maybe I like shorter guys." Naori giggled.

"Well, I'm not really interested in dating, so I'll just save you the trouble. Hit on another guy." I told her sternly.

"I'll pay you." She chimed.

"Okay, conversation officially got weird. Please leave me alone." I sighed.

"I just need you to make my Ex jealous. That's it. Please help me." Naori whined.

"This conversation is getting worse by the second. Just talk things out with him. If you two don't get past your differences, it'll cause a wedge in the clan. Not only that but you might abandon each other in a crucial battle. That won't help anyone. Please." I pleaded with a frown.

"Listen to him Naori." I heard Iicha Uchiha say.

We both looked at him in shock, "Mr. Hokage sir. I didn't know you were here. You're right... I'll be on my way." Naori got up and quickly left the cafe.

I looked at the Hokage and nodded, "Hello sir."

Iicha took the seat next to me and ordered some tea as well, "Do you like the Uchiha Estate?" Iicha asked.

"It's nice like most of the people here. I've only had problems with one person so far. I think he was being protective since I was with his sister." I guessed with a sheepish smile.

"With that look, you probably did do something wrong." Iicha responded calmly.

"Well... I wanted to spend time with Alexia since it feels like she never gets to relax. I didn't want to bring her to my apartment but going to her house was just as bad. Alexia's older brother must have thought I was trying to date her." I chuckled.

"When I was your age, men used to hate other men with female teammates. I guess they were jealous of that man's good fortune. I, personally, didn't care much for it. I believe that everyone's destined to be with that one person but doesn't know who it is. It's up to us. We must find out what we're supposed to do and who we need to love. I've only been Hokage for a few years, but the Mist Situation is something I've never dealt with. A full scaled war is something my predecessors would try to avoid." Iicha told me blankly.

"Why tell me this?" I asked.

"Mostly venting to a non-Uchiha. My clan tends to be aggressive when it comes to these kinds of situations." Iicha sighed.

"Can I ask you something... personal, about the Uchiha?" I asked.

"Go ahead." Iicha shrugged and pulled down his hat.

"The Sharingan. Are there different types?" I asked.

"I can't answer that question. Sorry." Iicha sighed.

"It's alright. Every clan has its secrets. I'm only asking since something about Alexia's brother interested me. As I left, his eyes didn't look normal." I told him.

"He must have had the Sharingan activated. You've seen it before, haven't you?" Iicha asked.

"It wasn't a normal Sharingan. Something was off because I couldn't see the three dots. Instead they were like... a wheel or something." I replied quickly.

"Hm... Honestly, don't worry about it. Can I ask you something personal?" Iicha asked suddenly.

I smirked, "Sorry, I can't answer that."

We both got our tea and I took my first sip, "I'll ask anyway. Which of your two teammates do you like more?" Iicha asked.

I choked on my tea, "Cough, Cough! What?" I asked with a blush.

"Which one do you like better? It's not uncommon for one to fall in love with a kunoichi on your team. Especially if one saves your life. Also, as Hokage, I enjoy watching the next generation grow. To see them come up with new jutsu or revamp old ones. I'm also fond of the village's unity with all the clans. Did you know, that the Uchiha used to be feared in the leaf and ended up trying to rebel?" Iicha asked.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. It was difficult to trust the Uchiha because of our power and ability to control a demon known as the Nine Tailed Fox. That changed after the Uchiha massacre and Tailed Beasts leaving the land. The village elders realized their previous mistakes and changed that. When I became Hokage, I decided to make the Uchiha estate in this area. Since then, the Uchiha people have been happier. The curse of hatred has no hold over us after the Seventh Hokage broke it. How? I don't know. All I know, is that the Uchiha were different ever since and I'm happy he stopped the curse." Iicha explained.

I was sucked into the story, "So, how did the Uchiha survive?" I asked.

"One Uchiha survived and others were apparently cloned. After several children were born, the Uchiha clan was reborn. Sigh. Well, I must get back to my duties. Enjoy your tea." He smiled before finishing his tea in one gulp and leaving the cafe.

When he left, I sat there wondering what he really wanted to talk about. I guess he was hinting towards my kunoichi friends. Since the conversation went off course, I never got to answer his question of who I liked better. Honestly, I don't like them as anything more than comrades. Dating Layla would be a chore because of her attitude and Alexia isn't interested in me. Now that I think about it, neither is Layla. If Naori wasn't trying to use me, I think I should have tried to date her. She was rather pretty but I have a feeling that'd cause issues with my two female friends. Ugh... what am I going to do with my future?


	11. Ch 11 Chunin Exams Part 1

**Ch. 11 The Chunin Exams Part 1**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

A few weeks have passed since I killed Menpai Sensei. After that day, I've avoided talking and thinking about him. Deep down... he's my Sensei and the only person I thought believed in me. I wish he took the time to teach me some of his jutsu. That Chidori, or at least I think it was called that, was interesting. What other jutsu did he have in his disposal? He only used three or four against me. He has to have known at least 15 or more to be a Jonin. Sensei has that black style, but I don't know how he has it. I asked around and there has never been a kekkei genkai that could do that. I'd ask him about it myself but I'm afraid he'll give me a live demonstration of his abilities. Layla and I hung out a lot more. Overall, it was enjoyable since I didn't want to be alone all the time. Alexia trained by herself as usual and I didn't know why. I started training my Taijutsu more by wearing weights around my legs, over my ankles. They weighed about a hundred pounds each and made each day a challenge. I sparred with Layla to get better at moving with them on. I was slow at first, but I gradually grew to get faster. As of right now, I'm as fast as I used to be without the weights. If I take them off now, I'll feel two hundred pounds get off my legs. That should give me a large boost in speed. Plus, the extra physical power from the heavy-duty work outs increased my chakra reserves further. The Chunin Exams started tomorrow, and I believed I was ready for it.

"You're still too slow!" Layla yelled as she dodged a leg sweep.

"I know. I'm not supposed to be fast." I responded as I stood up.

"Hey! Loser!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

"Oh god no..." I groaned.

I turned to see that orange kid, Kyle was his name I think, "I hope you're ready for our fight!" he yelled.

"Know what? Fine." I responded.

"What?" he was caught off guard.

"I said, Fine. Let's fight. I'm going to break your jaw, so I'll never have to hear your precum voice again." I told me, getting in his face.

As I looked down at him, I noticed how much taller I had gotten. I must be at least 5 foot 2 now. In two months I'll be 14 years old so that sounds just about right. Kyle stepped back and I so as well. I noticed his two squad mates were there as well but backed off to give us space. I looked at Layla to see she backed off as well. When he looked ready, I surprised him by throwing two shuriken. He blinked in surprise as I ran after my own Shuriken. After flinching, he threw two shuriken to block mine. I increased my speed with some aid from my chakra and jumped to kick him. He moved aside to sidestep the attack. The weights kept me from having any control of my attacks after they're launched. That means a kick is all or nothing due to the momentum. I turned just in time to catch his right wrist and stopped a punch. He followed up with a knee to my gut, but I sidestepped it. I twisted his wrist and flipped him onto the ground.

He spat on the ground as he got up, "Pfft, cheater." He growled.

I just shrugged in response. Kyle ran at me and I did the same as we grabbed each other's hands. He pushed each other but I was surprised to find us at equal strength.

He grinned suddenly, "Let me borrow this."

"Hm?" He started using my right hand to make hands signs, "What?" I asked, focusing my attention to our hands.

He kicked me hard on my chin and knocked me away, causing some separation, "Fire Style-Burnout!" he yelled.

He shot out a large wave of fire, "Earth Style-Headhunter!" I yelled.

I went underground, dodging the attack. I Immediately went to grab his ankles and pulled him under. When I did, I pulled a clone under and looked around frantically for him. He threw several kunai at me from a tree, but I blocked them with Menpai's sword.

He jumped down from it, "I seem to recall someone saying any ninja can use the substitution jutsu." Kyle mocked.

I growled to myself before making three clones. I threw a smokebomb onto the floor and used the cover to hand some equipment to my clones. The left the area, leaving me and Kyle.

He stared at me angrily, "I know you're a clone. Now... where could you have gone? Probably underground..." He mumbled to himself.

I raised a brow, 'So he thinks I'm a clone? Hm...' I thought to myself.

I decided to run at him, but he threw a kunai at me. With quick reflexes, I caught the kunai and kept running towards him.

Suddenly, he made hand signs, "Fire Style-Pheonix wave!" He yelled.

A wave of flames erupted from his body in a burst. I had to use the substitution jutsu to dodge it. I sacrificed a clone for the jutsu to work and came up from underground.

"So, you've learned a lot since our battle." He acknowledged.

"I hate to say it, but so have you." I responded.

"Your still not going to win." Kyle grinned.

My clones from earlier erupted from the ground. They grabbed his arms and hands to keep him from making hands signs. I started making handsigns as he struggled out of their grasps.

'Fire Style-Fireball Jutsu.' I thought before shooting a small fireball to the ground.

"Was that your best attempt at a fire style jutsu?" Kyle scoffed.

I shook my head, "Idiot."

"How am I an... idiot..." he noticed the flames follow along multiple wires. My clones laid out wires and attached paperbombs to them underground. He heard the fizzle of the paperbombs and barely got away went they went off. A large crater with a 7-foot diameter with a depth of six feet remained where he used to be. Looking at the crater, I realized that I may have gone overboard.

"You know, that could have killed me, right?" Kyle asked.

I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah... I got wrapped up in the battle, so I went a little far." I admitted.

The Kyle I was talking to disappeared because it was a clone. I heard a yell and turned around to get a fierce punch across my face. I tried to get up, but Kyle pinned me to the ground. With the extra weight on my legs, I couldn't move them. He reeled back a fist and punched me again. Unable to move, he kept punching me until Layla threw Kyle off me.

"Enough! You win." Layla told him sternly with a hint of anger.

I struggled to my feet and felt my quickly developing bruises. Kyle walked over to his two squad mates and gave them high fives as they left. That guys an asshole. No way around it. Layla started checking on my wounds.

"He sure did a number on your face. Did you let him win?" Layla asked curiously.

"No, I just couldn't move." I shrugged.

"Think the fight would be different with the weights off?" Layla asked sheepishly.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't know about the outcome, but the battle will definitely have gone differently. Taijutsu is a lot more difficult to control with the weights keeping the momentum in swing. I doubt I'll be able to control it effectively by tomorrow." I sighed.

"You can train during the exams. Alexia and I are going to be there to help keep you safe. Also... I... um... I think you look good." Layla blushed.

"Oh... thanks." I was genuinely surprised.

"Um... wow... I think the conversation got a little weird..." Layla said with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah. I'd say that's about right. Well, think I should go to the hospital?" I asked.

"No. It's just a few bruises. They'll heal on their own." Layla replied.

"Yeah. I'll just look like a punching bag for a bit." I joked.

"I have to admit, that kid is a piece of work." Layla spat.

"Yeah. I hope he's in the Chunin Exams, so I can knock him off his high horse." I whispered angrily.

"Why?" Layla asked.

I answered quickly, "If I don't I'll never hear the end of it. Every time he sees me, he'll say something about him being better than me."

Layla chuckled a bit, "Well, if you do beat him, he'll never stop challenging you to fights. Which is worse?"

"Well, when you put it that way, maybe I should 'accidentally' kill him." I suggested with a smirk.

"I'd pay to see that. You've... changed. You seem more confident now." Layla acknowledged with a smile.

"Okay, you're seriously weirding me out with this change of attitude. I'm so used to you being a... um... well I think you can guess what I was going to say. You better be careful or else I'll start to think you like me." I tried to rub this off with a joke.

"Well, I-" Layla started.

"I think it's a good time for me to cut into this conversation. What are you two up to?" Alexia asked.

I turned around to see Alexia, "Oh, hey Alexia. I didn't know you were around." I smiled, happy to get out of the awkward conversation with Layla.

"What are you doing here?" Layla asked.

"Oh, just looking for you. I needed to talk to you." Alexia smiled as she grabbed Layla's hand and forced her to walk away from me.

'Well... I guess they're going to talk about girl stuff or something. Guess I have to stand here and be a bystander.' I thought with a half frown.

They started whispering in a harsh tone, "What were you going to say?" Alexia demanded.

"What do you mean?" Layla replied nervously.

"I'm pretty sure you were going to say..." Alexia got quiet.

"What!? No..." Layla replied.

"I knew it." Alexia glared.

"Hey, you're my bestie, shouldn't you help me?" Layla asked.

"Not if I... Ugh... we'll continue this conversation later. When we're alone since he's eavesdropping." Alexia growled.

"Hey, it's not eavesdropping if you're talking literally 5 feet from me. Maybe you shouldn't be trying to keep secrets from me." I chuckled nervously.

They both stared at me, "He... wow... he doesn't understand what... Sigh..." Layla facepalmed.

"Maybe we should reconsider?" Alexia suggested.

"Hm... You can if you want." Layla smiled.

"No way. I'm not losing to you." Alexia glared.

They started to glare at each other and I began to feel confused as to what's going on, "Um... what are you guys fighting about?" I asked.

They both yelled at me, "Nothing!"

I took a step back, "Okay! Look, we're all just tense since the exams are tomorrow. Let's all just calm down and relax before we piss each other off." I suggested kindly.

They looked at each other before sighing in defeat, "Fine." Layla agreed first.

"Yeah, I just want to know who hurt you." Alexia told me.

Laula answered in my steed, "That orange kid. He's kind of annoying, overconfident, douchebaggy etc. I could list all the negative things about him, but I'll just save us the time." Layla snickered.

"Oh, that kid. Did you win?" Alexia asked.

"No. The weights on my legs kind of screwed me over in the end." I sighed in depression.

"Why didn't you just take them off?" Alexia asked with a raised brow.

"I didn't want him to know I had the weights on. Next time I fight him, I'm going to take them off and break his face." I grumbled.

"Speaking of fights, do either of you know where we're supposed to go to take the exams?" Layla asked.

"...We need to find Sensei, like, right now." Layla told us.

Since we agreed with Layla, we went and looked for Sensei. When we found him, he told us where to meet him to go to the exams. After finding that out, I mostly went home to relax since I was exhausted. On my way home, I noticed a lot of ninja that weren't in the village before. Genin from every land has come here for the Chunin Exams and I knew this was going to be trouble. I even saw that scorch girl from the hidden sand village. When I saw mist ninja, I almost attacked them but didn't. I don't like them being here after what they've been doing. It's not my decision though... so I must just suck it up and accept it. Tomorrow was going to be interesting and I found it hard to sleep that night...

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

When I finally woke up, I felt slightly bad. I only got about six hours of sleep and my legs were still sore from yesterday. I tried to go back to sleep but someone started knocking on my door. With a loud groan, I forced myself to stand up and walk over to the door. When I opened it, my sister was standing there.

"Good, I didn't miss my chance to see you. Damn, you look like shit." She smiled.

"Eh... I didn't sleep well, and my legs are sore. What do you need Mary?" I asked.

Mary walked in and looked around, "I just wanted to catch you before the exams. How do you think you'll do?"

"Eh... I don't think I'll make it. That's a given due to my inexperience." I tried to speak calmly but a yawn escaped my lips.

"I'm going to give you a hint. The first test is a written one. Good Luck." Mary smiled before leaving.

'Okay? Why come here just to say that? Wouldn't it be better to just let me find out myself?' I wondered.

I went to my fridge to make breakfast... only to find it empty. I closed the fridge door and pinched my nose in frustration. If I wasn't tired yesterday, I would have gotten something to drink at least. Instead... screw it. I'm going out for breakfast.

* * *

 **-One Hour Later-**

"So, are you three ready for this?" Sensei asked.

We were currently outside the door to the meeting room for the exams, "Yes Sensei." All three of us answer.

"Then go on in." Sensei smiled.

With a nervous gulp, I followed Layla into the room and met with a sea of genin ninja. Their headbands were shown proudly and some of them looked... intimidating. I noticed Kyle and his two squad mates were there with him. The one on the left stood at 5 feet tall with pale white eyes like he's blind. His long black hair was tied back with two strands that extend around his face down to his shoulders. His headband was tied across his forehead with a white scarf around his neck. He wore a grayish green flak jacket that's zipped up with the Hyuga Crest on the shoulders and over the right breast. There were no pockets on his flak jacket and a net like shirt can be seen under it. Bandages were tied from his shoulders down to his elbows. His hands were uncovered with visible wounds along his fingers. It makes me wonder where he got them from. He wore white shorts with bandages wrapped from his knees down to his ankles with black Sandals instead of blue.

He approached Alexia and introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Kizashi(Key-Za-she) Hyuga."

"Alexia Uchiha." Alexia bowed.

"I'll be straight forward. I wish to date you." Kizashi told her.

I decided to step between them, "Whoa there cowboy. That is NOT happening." I told him sternly.

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?" Kizashi asked.

I immediately blushed, "No! I'm just not letting you try and get in her head before the exams!" I yelled defiantly because of my embarrassment.

"You yell like a child trying to go against his mother." Kizashi mocked.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy smashing my fist against your face." I growled.

Kyle walked over, and chest bumped me away, "You'll have to go through me loser. That's the only way you'll get to face Kizashi."

"Bring it." I glared.

The third member of their group backed them up, "Fight us as a squad and you'll lose more than just your teeth." He declared.

"Yeah, nice one Nick." Kyle grinned.

Nick stood at 4 foot 10 with very slightly tanned skin. His hair was a light green with a large strand of hair to cover the left half of his face. His right eye is brown with a long black spike from the bottom left of his jaw over to the right edge of his lips. Nick's Headband was wrapped around his neck with a high collared green flak jacket. Along the center of the shoulders from the collar to the edge, was a wavy blue line, almost like a stream. His Flak Jacket extended halfway down his arms with a large Pouch atop his left breast. A small scroll was rolled up horizontally underneath the pouch. His flak Jacket is open to reveal a net T-shirt. To go with his outfit, he wore grayish blue pants with the traditional blue sandals.

"You three couldn't beat us even if you tried. Hell, I could beat you three all by myself." Layla scoffed.

We heard a loud slam as three hidden leaf ninjas entered the room, "Everyone! Shut up!" The head ninja yelled.

That gained everyone's attention and the man that yelled looked a lot more intimidating than any Genin here. His face is covered with tens of scars and his left eye is blind. He wore a dark green flak jacket with short sleeves but has a long-sleeved cream-colored shirt underneath. Currently, he has his hands inside two pockets located along the bottom of the flak jacket. His white skin couldn't even shine in the light because of all the scars. It's as though the light of day doesn't want to reveal his hideous appearance. His pants were blue and extended down to his ankles with blue sandals to cover his feet.

"Everyone, my name is Goumon. I'm the proctor for the first exam and known as the idiot's gatekeeper. I'm here to pass the smart asses on and fail the dumbasses. Got it!?" Goumon yelled with a deep commanding voice.

None of us spoke but nodded our agreement, "Alright! Now, we need you all to fill out these papers and sign these release forms!" The two ninjas near Goumon yelled.

When I got my papers, it asked for our basic information and consent. Genin can die during the second and third exams. These release forms are to avoid any blame to befall the leaf village in case of accidents. Then came the part that asked for any special traits. I quickly thought about it and placed N/A on it. I wonder what special abilities the other genin have. I noticed a few peculiar headbands that belonged to the Hidden Sound Village and Steam Village. After everyone signed their papers, they were quickly collected and filed to each individual village.

Goumon got everyone's attention again, "Alright everyone! Follow me! The Written test starts now!" Goumon yelled.

"Written Test!? We're ninja! Not poets!" A genin yelled.

"Heh. Look. To survive in the ninja world, you can't be a reckless idiot. Look at me. I've been dealt over one hundred scars across my entire body. I lost sight in my left eye and once got tortured for seven days. To survive, you must be unbreakable and intelligent. Would any of you want to look like me soon?" He took our long silence as a no, "I didn't think so. If a simple little test is too difficult for you. Then quit now and save yourself from the embarrassment." Goumon grinned.

I don't think a single person faltered from his challenge. All of us followed him into a gigantic classroom that allowed all 162 participates to take the test. My guess, about 12 percent of the participates were from the leaf village. I didn't recognize many of them though. Goumon started writing on a chalkboard in front of everyone. I was at least five rows back. In the room there were 18 rows with 3 long tables in each. 3 participates sat at a table and none of our squadmates are nearby.

"Alright! Now, for this test there are a lot of specific rules. Around the room there are seventeen observers that's sole purpose is to watch you. If they catch you cheating, they dock you down a mark. Get two marks and your disqualified, along with your team. Second, this test is graded on a team effort, meaning all three scores matter. If two members get 100 and the third gets a zero. You fail by 3 points because your score is a 67. You need a 70 to pass. There are fifty questions on this test, each one harder than the last. Also, any ninja caught cheating isn't worthy to be a ninja. You must be able to get intel without getting caught so, show us. Show us what you can do!" Goumon yelled.

The tests were passed out and I looked at the first question. It was not what I was expecting. Some of the question involved complex geometry and that alone is discouraging.


	12. Ch 12 Chunin Exams Part 2

**Ch. 12 The Chunin Exams Part 2**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

I looked over every question on the exam and I couldn't believe how difficult they got. I've never failed a test before and... this may be my first. I glanced around for a moment and noticed that several others have started to cheat. Some did it openly and I heard the observers start to scribble on notepads. I looked around to see Alexia and she was writing down answers easily. Almost as if... wait... Is she... copying someone's writing movements? What about Layla? Does she have a way to cheat as well? I... I don't have any way to cheat... well... there's no time limit so I can take my time on each question.

"Fifty minutes remaining!" Goumon yelled.  
'And things just keep getting... wait... I can answer these... They're counting on me. Okay... first question.' I thought to myself.

My thoughts were interrupted by the observers, "Number 15 fail! Number 37 fail! 45, 78, 91, fail! Number... fail!" People were failing left and right. After five minutes, 50 percent of the participates were gone. I was shocked but regained my composure, I have a test to finish.

* * *

 **-30 minutes left-**

"15 minutes remaining!" Goumon yelled.

'Alright, I'm... done. I finished it!' I yelled in my mind.

I looked over my answers with a smirk since they're... interesting to say the least. I would love it if someone- I suddenly passed out. When I woke up, the test was being collected.

An observer came for mine, "Ugh, what happened?" I wondered.

"You must have dozed off during the exam." The Observer smiled.

I gave him my paper, "You may want to give me an extra piece of paper." I grinned.

"Why?" He asked.

"Look at my test." I told him.

He looked before letting his eyes go wide, "These answers! They're encrypted!" He yelled.

"Yes. I knew someone would try and cheat off me at one point. I'm guessing that person who knocked me out did try but probably failed. A ninja should never steal an encrypted message without getting the code first. Without the code, how can the message ever be solved?" I asked.

Goumon walked over to us, "What's the problem?" he asked.

"This Genin, he solved every question and encrypted the answers." The observer explained.

"Let me see that test." he took it from the observer, "Hm... that's... something I've never seen before. Why would you encrypt the message?" Goumon asked.

"To stop the others from cheating off me. I knew someone was going to. I just stopped them. Took me a few minutes to come up with the code too. Had to put some thought into it." I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, give us the code or else you'll get a big fat zero since it's unreadable." Goumon demanded.

"On it." They gave me a piece of scrap paper and I quickly scribbled my code onto it.

As they walked off, I couldn't help but feel an internal grin. I looked around for Layla and gave her a thumbs-up. Layla did the same and that made me feel a bit more confident. Are all my answers, right? No, way. Will most be right? Probably. Either way, I am praying to our god that we'll pass. After an hour has gone by, the tests were being given out. When I got mine, I was happy to find a 96 on it. I couldn't help but get pumped and clap my hands hard before fist pumping. Layla and Alexia came over to me and showed their papers. Layla got a 60 and Alexia got an 84. Adding it all up, we got a 240 and divide it by three, we scored an even 80. That means we passed, we did it!

"No... we failed by one point!" A Leaf village Genin yelled angrily.

"Hey, don't feel so bad, we completely failed," A hidden cloud genin shrugged.

"All who passed, stand up and head to the front of the room," Goumon ordered.

Only 42 of us remained and they were 9 leaf, 3 sand, 3 sound, 6 cloud, 6 stone, 3 steam, 3 grass, 3 River and 6 Mist. With what genin that remained, I can tell this is going to get difficult. The Sound and Sand Ninja looked especially dangerous. The scorch girl danced around happily but I can sense her murderous intent for some reason. The Sound Ninja wore equipment that looked problematic. I don't know what they do but something tells me I will find out eventually.

"What's wrong Rui?" Layla asked.

"I'm having doubts. A lot of doubts. Look at the competition, there's no way we can beat these guys." I groaned.

Layla pat my back hard, "Don't say stuff like that, we'll do fine! We have your back."

"Yeah, Layla's right, for once. If we work together, we can do anything Rui." Alexia smiled.

"I'm going to agree just because you smiled." I smiled back.

"What about my smile?" Layla asked.

"What about it?" I asked, completely missing the point of the question.

"Just... never mind." Layla sighed.

"You two have been acting strange lately. It's a bit... troubling." I admit.

"Enough! The Second Exam's Proctor is going to be here soon so shape up!" Goumon yelled.

"I'm already here, Goumon." A slightly snakish voice chuckled.

A man appeared next to Goumon, as if he came out of the shadows. His eyes were golden with silted pupils and extremely white skin. Around his eyes is a shadow of red with a purple outline. His hair is long, straight and grey. His wore a grey garb with a white T-shirt and A green Konoha Flak Jacket between them. To cover his legs, light purple pants covered them down to his ankles. He wore shinobi sandals but along his ankles were tattoos of snakes. Out from under his garb, a black and green snake slithered out to hiss at us. His cheek bones seemed to sink in a bit and his hips were smaller than normal. The head of a snake tattoo coiled behind one of his ears, barely being covered by his long hair. His left eye seemed to be crying a bit as he smiled at us. His headband was tied around his left arm.

He wiped the tear, "Hello, my name is Hebi. Sorry, it's hard to compose myself when I'm this excited. Some of you are going to die, how sad..." He chuckled and spoke the last two words sadly as if meaningless.

"Hebi will be taking you to the Forest of Death for the second exam. Exams 2 and 3 are why you sign the release forms. These two can literally kill you or, in the best-case scenario, injure you. Hebi will tell you the rest." Goumon concluded.

Hebi giggled darkly, "My, my. Seems to me, you all are confident. Except you... you look... worried." Hebi hissed lowly, staring straight at me.

I swallowed hard, "I'm not worried." I lied.

"Oh? Then why are you shivering? Why do you look like you've already lost? Your heart is beating at a rapid rate too. Hm... Think fast!" Hebi yelled, throwing a kunai at me.

I almost flinched but caught the kunai, "Are you insane!?" I yelled amidst my shock.

"Insane? Aw, don't say such unkind things. We just met. Trust me, my bad side is a lot worse." Hebi chuckled with a grin.

Layla pat my back, "You'll be fine." Layla whispered.

I took a deep breath and whispered back, "Thanks. I know the three of us will get through this."

"Now then, if you'll follow me. We can get to the forest of death and I can explain the rules." Hebi turned and started walking towards a door.

No one said anything and just followed him. The guy's aura was... frightening. You could tell just by looking at him, that he's crazy. Yet... there's a strange feeling that he's sane. He's not intimidating but something else. The best I can describe it, Hebi is frightening. I huddled closer to my teammates and felt comfort flow through me. After an hour, we were outside the Forest of death and just by looking at it, I could tell why it's called that. Standing outside the fence with all the other shinobi, I could have sworn I saw a body get dragged into the forest. A cold shiver went up my spine and I swallowed hard. I looked at Kyle's team and suddenly wondered how they even got to this point. None of them seem bright...

Hebi walked up to the gate and looked at all the keep out signs before turning to us, "Welcome to my favorite place. You wouldn't believe how many genin have died in this forest. Heh heh heh heh heh." He chuckled darkly.

A sound ninja stepped towards him, "Get to the rules, I didn't come here to learn what turns you on. I," He held up an arm before continuing, "Want to pass this exam as soon as I can."

The Sound Ninja looked about 16 years old and stood at 5 foot 9. The headband covered his right eye and a black mask covered his neck and up to the bridge of his nose. His hair is is short but extremely spiky. So spiky, in fact, you could see the skin of his scalp. He wore an open thick brown sweater with white fur around his wrists and collar. Underneath the sweater, is a black polo shirt with slightly longer than average black shorts to match. He pulled back the sleeve on his right arm to reveal a device attached to it. It was thin with three small holes on the back and wrist. The same device is attached to his legs along the ankle and muscle. His eyes must be green due to the exposed one.

"Who are you?" Hebi asked calmly with a smile.

"I'm Frequency of the sound." Frequency replied.

"Frequency, eh? I wonder... is that your real name... or a name you just gave yourself." Hebi smirked.

Frequency grunted, 'Eh... it's not the worst name in the word. Hell, he could have been unoriginal and called himself sound.' I thought to myself, unintentionally smiling.

Layla elbowed me, "You thought of something funny just now, didn't you." she mused.

I smiled sheepishly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She elbowed me again, "Heh, liar."

I shrugged with my hands up, "So you say." I grinned.

"Since your so impatient, let me get to the rules then. During this exam, at least half of you are going to fail. To pass this test, you need to acquire two scrolls and open them at the tower in the center of the forest. However, there's a time limit. After the test starts, you have three days to get to the tower with both scrolls. If you don't, you fail. After three days, our ninja will scour the forest to find the failed participates... or their bodies. Heh heh heh heh heh." Hebi chuckled darkly.

'That's why at least half of us will fail...' I thought to myself.

"What about food?" A Grass Ninja asked.

"Oh, believe me when I say there are plenty of things to eat in there. You just have to find it and possibly kill it. Although... there are many types of predators and poisonous insects as well. So do be careful when foraging for food because you need all three members alive to pass. Also, while in the forest you can take the scroll from your enemies using any method you want. You can kill them or spare them. It doesn't really matter. What does matter, is the scroll. On the other hand, will it really benefit you to fight another squad to the death, not knowing which scroll they possess? Here are the two scrolls. They are the Heaven and Earth scroll. I'm sure I don't have to explain what happens if you get two of the same scroll." Hebi grinned.

"So... should we ask our enemies which scroll they have before fighting them?" A Mist Ninja asked.

"That would be a very civil way to do it but also a very dangerous one. A ninja's greatest ally, is the element of surprise. If you reveal yourself, you lose that element and must spend an even greater amount of chakra and equipment to defeat your opponent. To make this short, bring one of each scroll to the tower by the next three days by using any means necessary. Using a method that'll ensure death will fail you instantly since, again, you need all three members alive. Do I make myself clear?" Hebi asked.

Everyone nodded, "Yes sir..."

"Good, now go pick up your scroll and gate number." He pointed at a few stands with Konoha ninja stationed there, "Since there are 16 of you, there are plenty of gates for your team to enter in." Hebi waved us off.

* * *

Since there were four stands, it went by quickly. We got the Earth scroll and our gate number was lucky number 7. When I saw that number, I instantly thought we were boned. I mean, number 13 would seal our fate but I have a feeling irony will take place today. The gate was closed when we got to it, so we did our best to guess where we were. The Tower is in the center of the forest, right? So where exactly are we entering from and how will we know which way we're going? These giant trees will block our vision of the sun, so we can't do it that way. Maybe we can with Algae but knowing north isn't going to help if we don't know where we're entering from. To make it worse, we need the Heaven scroll to pass. What if we end up fighting just to get another Earth scroll? The fighting will not only exhaust us but get the group lost or split up too. The last thing I want, is to be separated from my partners. The worst thing I can imagine is looking for them, only to find bits and pieces scattered about. How could I live with myself if I lost my two best friends? ...Wait. I just called them my best friends... are they really my best friends now? Well... I have known them for quite a while and trust them.

I smiled while looking at the floor and sighed aloud, earning their attention, "What's wrong?" Layla asked.

"I just realized something. You two are my best friends. I never thought of you guys like that before but now... it's blatantly obvious." I smiled sincerely.

"So, you're saying you like us?" Layla chimed.

"Yeah. You two are great friends, even if you almost killed me." I chuckled.

They both suddenly sighed sadly, 'Aw man...' Alexia thought sadly.

'We've been friend zoned...' Layla thought gloomily.

I frowned, "Is being my friend that bad? I thought you guys liked being my friend."

"We do!" Layla suddenly yelled, catching me off guard.

I was a little shaken up by that, "Uh... let's just ignore my statements and focus on the task at hand. Hah heh..." I chuckled extremely nervously.

'Great, now I scared him.' Layla growled to herself.

'Heh. Looks like it's Alexia 0 and Layla -1.' Alexia smirked.

"So... what should we do first?" I asked.

"Hm..." Layla thought to herself, "I got it! The second we start, lets head up to the top of the trees and look for the tower. If we can spot it, then we know which direction we should head towards."

"I think that's a great idea." I chimed, giving her a thumbs-up as a confidence boost.

'Ugh... Looks like we're tied again...' Alexia sighed in her mind.

Layla glanced at Alexia, 'In your face.'

"...Um... Why do you two stare at each other so much. Are you secretly dating?" I asked warily.

"No!" They both yelled angrily.

I fell onto my butt and held up my hands defensively, "Okay! Okay. You don't have to snap at me. Plus, it's okay if you are. You two have to be interested in someone and I'm the least likely candidate." I replied nervously.

'This... this idiot really doesn't think we like him that way? He must be the most oblivious idiot or the most self-conscious person ever.' Layla thought angrily.

Alexia was lost in a small memory of dialogue she had with Rui in the past few days, 'I really hope you and Layla find your match. Me, I don't think I'll live long enough to meet mine. If I do, I don't think I have anyone to match with. I have no special talents. No good looks. No family. No money. Nothing. I'm just me. Heh, in my own words I put it like this. I'm so alone that I'm standing here beside myself. It means my shadow seems to be the only person I'm around often. Layla is a pervert that likes handsome guys with talent, you will probably marry an Uchiha for your bloodline and I'll just... be there. I'm content with that really... After my parents died, I can't see myself being truly happy. My own parents couldn't love me as their child so what girl could? To make myself feel worse, Menpai Sensei was the only person I thought believed in me... and I killed him. The entire time I thought logically. Allowing myself to feel cold as we fought and bit back my sadness. I guess we ninja are just... emotionless tools... So, I'll mold myself into one later and die alone I guess. The one way I do want to die... is protecting you and Layla. You're my squad mates and I don't want either of you to die.'

'Rui... you're so cold to yourself that even I can't see what you feel on the inside. My Sharingan can see many things but when they look at you, they see nothing. No hope. No Happiness. No purpose. It's as if all the life you had, died. Now, you're just... Rui. When you admitted how you think your future will go, I got a glimpse of your sadness. You hide it behind clever words and smiles but I can see through them now. It's like you forced yourself into the deepest, darkest cave and tried to freeze yourself. You could leave at any time but refuse to because of the sheer fact that you really don't want to. When you look at us, you don't see us. Why? It's because your back is turned to us as you stare into a corner. Ignoring everyone's affection and hurting yourself with cruel words.' Alexia thought sadly.

I tilted my head, "Why the long face?" I smiled.

Alexia looked down and sighed, "Rui... you're sad deep down... aren't you?"

"Heh? Sad? What gives you that idea? I'm fine." I tried to laugh it off.

"If anything, he's probably just nervous about the second exam." Layla suggested.

I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah... I'll admit that I'm nervous about this test. I'll do my best to be useful in a fight. I don't have any special talents like you two but that's okay. I always improvise when I fight."

"Just remember to avoid dying. I'd never be able to forgive you if you went and died on us." Alexia told me sternly.

I did a nervous laugh, "Yeah... because we'd get disqualified." I remembered.

Alexia suddenly got mad at that, "No! I don't want to see or have another comrade die in front of me!" She grabbed my shoulders and made me stand back up, "You're our friend! You just said we're your best friends! Do you think we'd want you to die!? Of course, we don't! I know I sometimes ignore you and hang out with Layla on occasion but losing you permanently would hurt us because..." Alexia froze and dropped her head before sighing, "Never mind. If I continue, it'll be a cry on deaf eyes because you already gave up." Alexia snorted before turning away from me.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked in shock.

"You're so deep in your own depression that you can't see the good that's in your life. Me, Layla, and Sensei are still here for you. We're not going to abandon you. We're not going to just die on you. We are always going to be there for you. Not only that, but I believe in you." Alexia smiled a bit.

Those words rang in my eyes, "You believe in me?" I asked.

"Hey, I'm not letting her one-up me. I believe in you too Rui. If I didn't, I wouldn't have trained you as hard as I did. You may think you have no talent, but I beg to differ. Your talent is extreme growth. You've gotten better in such a short amount of time, it's staggering." Layla smiled as well.

I looked down sadly, "I never thought you guys felt that way about me. Thank you."

"Do you feel better?" Alexia asked.

"In time, maybe. Now, not that much. I just want this test to start." I sighed before looking at the gate.

A loud bell rang and the gate's opened, "Looks like it just did." Layla smiled with her hands on her hips.

"Alright, let's go squad 3." Alexia declared.

"Right!" Me and Layla yelled as we ran through the gates and entered the forest.


	13. Ch 13 Chunin Exams Part 3

**Ch. 13 The Chunin Exams Part 3**

 **(I really hope more people begin to like this. Anyways, sorry for the wait, please favorite, follow or review to support the story.)**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

It's been three hours since we've entered the forest. I expected us to meet up with another squad, but we didn't. That means, we might have enough time to figure out where we are. We stopped in a small clearing and looked around a bit before relaxing.

I took a deep sigh of relief before speaking to my partners, "Since it's quiet right now, I'm going to the top of the trees and look for the tower."

"Alright, we'll cover you." Alexia agreed.

I nodded quickly, "Thanks. I'll be back in a second."

I started going up the trunk of a nearby tree and immediately sensed something was wrong. I looked around as I went up but couldn't notice anything. The large brown trees periodically had thick dark green vines coiling around them. I didn't see any kind of animal but that's... disturbing. It's an ideal environment for a predator due to the silent, empty environment. Nothing moved, and I just assumed it was my imagination. Upon reaching the top, I was met with a sea of trees and couldn't see the tower at all. That means the trees tower over and conceal the Tower itself.

'Oh shit... How will we find this damn tower if we don't know where we are? Did they give some participates maps or what?' I wondered before heading back down the tree.

As I went down the tree, I saw movement and froze in fear as a giant caterpillar lunged at me. The caterpillar's skin matched that of the thick vines around the trees. Large black eyes opened as it approached me, seemingly in slow motion. I never imagined a caterpillar being so... huge. It had to be 15 feet long and 9 feet thick. Tiny white legs were revealed on its underbelly and extended all along the belly. Instead of its body being segmented, it was one long piece like a... I think you know what I was going to say. It opened its mouth, revealing a circle of sharp teeth and green saliva. Knowing how insects work, its saliva will most definitely acidic to human flesh. I wanted to dodge or move but I couldn't as its mouth rapidly approached me. Soft pink inner flesh glistened in the faint light allowed in the forest. Then, it's mouth surrounded me and began to swallow me. Some of its green saliva touched my skin and I immediately screamed in pain. My body could move again as I violent shook and took out two Kunai to stab the inner walls. The green saliva burned my flesh and caused an extensive amount of pain. I felt the saliva on my legs and back, but I tried my best to focus on what to do. Then, it hit me, so I hung with one arm and used the other to reach into my weapons pouch under my sweater. I pulled out a couple paper bombs and lit them. The amount of happiness I felt for keeping this extra pouch of equipment. I dropped them down the throat and, after three seconds, they went off. A burst of air threw me up with black smoke as I was spat out of the caterpillar. I could barely control myself as I spun around. I eventually hit my back on the trunk of a tree and fell onto a broken branch. I laid there for a moment and breathed heavily. The burns from the caterpillar's saliva, still sent pain throughout my body. I heard something and picked my head up to see the caterpillar falling towards me. I immediately jumped to my feet and ran, screaming as I did it, and dodged the caterpillar's body. It hit the broken branch and flung me into the air in uncontrollable front flips. When I landed, it was face first onto dirt and grass, bouncing slightly. I bounced and flipped onto my back hard before sliding to a stop. I panted hard and felt pain wrack my body. I looked up at the leaves overhead before a small one floated down and landed on my headband.

"Damn... I can't believe I'm alive... where the hell are those two?" I panted.

I did my best to stand up but the weights on my legs kept me pinned for now. I decided to lay back and continued to stare at the overhead leaves. The burns began to calm down and I began to feel better. The only problem, I felt exhausted after that small near-death experience.

I started chuckling a bit from misplaced anger, "We'll cover you. Oh yeah, you two covered me. The only thing I was covered by, is green acidic saliva. Thank you so much guys. Great teamwork."

They weren't there but I wanted to bitch at them so badly. Where the fuck are they? I bet they are together but fucking lied to me. I'd appreciate it if they stopped making out and help me!

"Alexia! Layla! Where the hell are you guys!? I need help!" I screamed into the forest.

"No one is here to help you Rui?" A voice whispered in the wind.

"W-what the hell was that?" I asked aloud in shock.

"You're all alone. Like you always were. No one is here to save you now." The voice continued.

It sounded like a perfect blend of every person I knew, "The saliva must have some kind of hallucinogenic compound that infected my body through the burn." I shivered in fear.

"Ruuuiiiiii..." The voice whispered.

I took a deep breath and did my best to stand up, "That's it, I'm getting the hell out of here." I told myself sternly.

When I got to my feet, after five minutes of trying, I looked around a bit. The voices stopped, and my burns didn't hurt anymore. I felt a calm breeze blow over me but knew something was wrong. I was proven right when a lightning bolt shot at me.

I quickly dodged the lightning bolt from sheer desperation, "Damn! I missed!" I heard a voice yell.

'Just my fucking luck! An enemy squad found me!' I thought angrily.

I pulled out a smokebomb and threw it onto the floor. I made a clone and gave him two paperbombs, a kunai, and one smoke bomb. I used my Earth Style-Head Hunter jutsu to hide underground. My clone ran away from the area with the enemy squad quick to pursue.

'Well... at least that worked out. My legs are killing me though. I won't be able to run away but at least I'm able to breath here. What should I do? I can't just run around the forest like a retard because enemy squads, like the one I just saw, will kill me.' I gripped my shortsword, 'What would Menpai Sensei do in this situation? Sigh... he'd betray the village apparently... I can't think about what he'd do. He's able to use lightning style but I can only use one earth and one fire style jutsu.' I felt around in my equipment pouches, 'Hm... I have plenty of wire... what... what if I could channel my chakra through it? No... I can't experiment on something like that at a time like this. Plus, the wire I have is standard, not artificial. If it was, I could have made my own jutsu, even if it's not flashy.' I thought to myself.

I heard an explosion, meaning my clone must be gone by now. He was a suicidal distraction. Knowing what they most likely would do, they'll circle back and look for any clues. I'm just going to sit here and wait for them. I heard footsteps as the three of them walked directly overhead.

"Damn it. Where did he go?" I heard a rough masculine voice asked with clear irritation.

"I don't know but if I didn't miss my lightning arrow, he would have been in our custody." A feminine voice asked sadly.

"Don't focus on that Denise, the Lightning Arrow is a new jutsu for you. You'll get used to it." A high pitch male voice told her.

"With how injured he looked, that ninja couldn't have gotten far. He probably found his comrades by now and they're looking for us. Stay alert and be quiet. We can't give away our location or they'll get the drop on us." The rough voiced male ordered.

"Right!" I heard them jump off, leaving the area.

I was hesitant to leave the safety of the underground but after an hour, I finally surfaced from underground and looked around. When I took a step, I immediately set off a trip wire and get my leg caught in it. Wires wrapped around my right leg and strung me up into the air. I could only guess and assume that I was at least 10 feet from the ground. I didn't scream when the trap went off, so they shouldn't be alerted. I quickly reached for my shortsword and did a sit up to cut the wire from my right leg. As I fell to the ground, I straightened myself out to land on my feet. My right leg hurt like hell, but I needed to get out of this area. Right after my first jump to a branch, I was hit with a shuriken to my left shoulder.

"Ow!" I screamed before pulling it out.

It was that girl from earlier, "I knew you were still around here." Denise smirked.

"What? Do you want a fuckin' medal?" I retorted.

The girl has dark skin with semi large pink lips and stood at 5 foot 2, looking about 14 years old. She hair is light green and cut to be a bit short, only barely reaching her shoulders. She wore a small flak jacket with exposed her stomach along with a small white t-shirt/tanktop. Her breasts were barely a B cup, so most likely an A cup with virtually no cleavage. Her Flak Jacket is greyish white with her headband tied around her right hand. It revealed her to be a Genin from the village hidden in the clouds. Her skin looked relatively smooth, showing that she took care of herself regularly. Her eyes were light green like her hair and a smile spread across her face. Her left hand quickly pulled out a kunai and I followed suite.

"Lightning Arrow!" Denise yelled as she pointed her kunai at me.

An electric charge shot off from the tip of her kunai towards me. I initially tried to block with my kunai, but the lightning bolt knocked it out of my hands. She shot a few more lightning bolts and I quickly pulled out my shortsword to block them. I didn't expect it to work but it did. The lightning arrows bounced off the blade and reflected it towards the direction I swung the sword. When the attack stopped, I glanced at the blade to see it has a small electrical charge. That must be how I'm able to reflect the attacks. Now the question surfaces, where is that electrical charge coming from?

"Lightning Lariat!" I heard a rough masculine voice yell.

I was barely able to hold up my shortsword as another ninja from the cloud tried to hit me with an electrified lariat. His brute strength allowed him to blow me away even though I blocked. I rag dolled backwards until I hit a tree trunk and slumped to the ground. I panted hard before suddenly throwing my head forward in a coughing fit. A bit of blood dotted the ground as I wiped my mouth clean. The guy who hit me, stood on a branch overhead. I looked up at him as Denise appeared at his side. Like Denise, he has very dark skin with black hair braided in corn-rolls. His height must be around 6 feet tall and his arm muscles looked huge. He almost looked like an eighteen-year-old. His brown eyes glared at me as a blue electrical aura surrounded his arms. He wore a white open coat that exposed his six pack and pecs. His Headband is tied around his right leg, over his blue pants. His sandals were blue and looked standard. Seems like he doesn't wear a Flak Jacket... but why?

"Denise... why is he wearing a sweater?" He asked, still glaring at me.

"You can always ask him, Jerome. You are a curious person after all." Denise giggled.

Jerome snorted before crossing his arms, "He doesn't have the scroll..." He analyzed, ignoring her proposal.

"Yeah... I guess they didn't want the stand out of the group to have it. Just look at him, I can tell just from the way he's dressed, that he's the failure of the group." Denise laughed.

I bit back a retort and sat there panting hard, 'Bitch. She didn't need to say that. Alexia... Layla... Where are you?' I wondered desperately.

"What should we do with him?" Denise asked.

"Well... we could kill him." Jerome shrugged.

Denise giggled as she pointed her kunai at me, "That'll automatically disqualify his team, so it may be the logical thing to do. Not only that but we could take his body and bargain with his team mates to exchange it for their scroll."

I looked at them angrily before laughing, "It won't be that easy. I," I struggled to my feet, "Can still fight." I panted hard before looking at them.

"He's got guts, I'll give him that." Denise smiled.

"And brains. I'll see you guys later." I chuckled.

A loud fizz erupted from under them as ten paperbombs went off. Allowing the distraction to work, I pulled out a smokebomb and tried to set it off. Instead, I felt a hand grab my arm and twist it until I heard a snap.

Jerome was beside me, completely uninjured, "That wasn't very nice." He glared.

'Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!' I mentally screamed in pain, "So fast!" I grunted.

"Not just fast." He allowed me to back away from him, "Powerful as well. I want to know, before I kill you, why do you wear that set of clothing?" Jerome asked curiously.

"...I always did hate being a part of the crowd. Even when I was little. The sweater holds a lot of sentimental value as well. It's the only real gift my parents ever gave me. As for everything else, I guess I like standing out. The sneakers are specially made to allow chakra flow. Also, I think it's-" I quickly threw a kunai with a paperbomb attached to it, mid-sentence.

Instead of dodging the kunai, his entire body lit up with that blue aura. It blocked the kunai and the following paperbomb explosion without any trouble. I stared in shock as Jerome gingerly cracked his neck before coming at me. Being so exhausted, I couldn't move fast enough to even try to block him. He punched me square in the gut, making me spit blood on his chest. Jerome's punch threw me up into the air and they allowed me to fall to the ground.

I laid there barely breathing, let alone moving, "Hey, hey. Don't go dying on me yet. I like to kill my enemies in five or more attacks. That was only 2. Get up!" Jerome yelled.

"I think he kicked the bucket already, Jerome." Denise smiled.

"No, he's still breathing. I am disappointed though. He's so weak. So... pathetic. I feel bad that the leaf village must put up with him. Killing him will only help their village. Hey, maybe they'll instantly promote us for getting rid of such trash." Jerome taunted.

"...Shut up." I growled before getting to my feet.

"Eh?" Jerome asked.

I stood there panting with my hood up before forcing myself to stare at them hatefully, "You two need to SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I pointed a finger at them accusingly before yelling at them some more, "It's not my fault I was born to be a ninja! My entire life has been one big struggle! From my parents hating me!" I remembered my parents refusing to look at me, "From teachers and students making fun of me!" I remembered them laughing at me, "Everyone saying I'm worthless! That I'm weak! I'M SICK OF IT!" I screamed as my chakra flared up around me.

The air seemed to blow them a bit as I pulled out Menpai's shortsword, "Heh, it's going to take more than blowing off some stress to intimidate us, loser." Denise chuckled.

Menpai's shortsword went awry with lightning chakra, "You..." I glared at her with all my hatred, "I hate you. I'm going to chop you up and rearrange your face!" I screamed.

"Just try it!" Jerome yelled as he tried to use his speed.

I met his speed with my own and slashed my shortsword against his fist. The attacks collided but neither of us could win before getting knocked back. Jerome looked at me in shock before glaring. I looked at the ground, sniffling a bit as I remembered Menpai Sensei. He was attuned to lightning... is he trying to protect me through his blade? If not... could I be attuned to lightning as well? Denise shot some lightning arrows at me, but I dodged them with my newfound speed.

"How is he so fast?" Denise asked.

I could feel my entire body lit up from my chakra, 'So this is my hatred... Heh... I feel so alive. What should I call it? Eh... that can come later. Right now, I have to murder my tormentors.' I thought to myself darkly with a grin.

"Don't get cocky with me kid!" Jerome yelled as he attacked me.

We started exchanging blows from blocking each other's strikes, to throwing equipment at each other. I kept up with his speed the entire time and gave him a real challenge. Denise tried to intervene with her lightning arrows, but I had enough of her. I used my newfound speed to try and kill her. Instead, Jerome blocked me, and we held each other in a power struggle.

"Denise, go get Salz! We're going to need his help!" Jerome ordered.

"R-Right!" Denise stammered before jumping off, leaving us alone.

We backed off from each other, "You're going to die here you bastard!" I yelled.

I ran at Jerome and tried to cut through his attacks, but we kept blocking each other. My hatred started to settle down and I began to get slower. Jerome started to slow down as well since both of our chakra reserves lessened. He tried to punch me as I ducked underneath and slashed across his stomach. This time, my blade cut his flesh a bit. His electric aura is weakening now. With this bit of good news, I think I can win but it'll have to be soon. If not, I'll be empty on chakra and must fight off two more enemies.

I panted hard as I readied my shortsword, "Looks like your running low on chakra too." I acknowledged.

"Yes... I felt some of your attacks. It's been a long time since that happened." Jerome frowned.

I ran at him and tried to slash him, but we clashed like before. Our attacks bouncing off each other because of our chakra natures being the same. The weights were starting to weigh me down again but that made me angrier. My speed increased a bit as I started attacking Jerome faster. He seemed surprised by my sudden ferocity as I viciously tried to cut him down. He held up both arms to block my horizontal slash and I followed it up with drop kicking his arms. With the added weight, the power of the kick increased, knocking him away. Jerome flew back and slammed into a tree trunk. When he opened his eyes, he barely had time to duck as I slashed over him, cutting the entire tree down. I turned to him and saw his blue aura disappear as he began to run off.

"Hey! Get back here-!" I couldn't finish as I suddenly fell onto my stomach exhausted.

Jerome ran off and never looked back. I watched him run off and clenched my hand, bitterly picking up dirt.

'Damn it! I failed! I... why couldn't I win!? Why does everything go wrong!? Once... just once I want things to go my way! To be completely one sided and feel superior! Instead... I... I...' I stopped thinking about it and laid my head on the dirt.

I was exhausted and couldn't move my head as someone approached me, "Who's there?" I asked, close to passing out.

A familiar voice answered me, "Sh. I'm here to help you. Don't worry." She whispered.

Too exhausted to stay awake, I slowly closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall asleep. Hopefully, I'll wake up and not see God when I do.

* * *

 **-Hours Later-**

When I woke up, I heard a campfire. I turned my head to see it was Moeru. She whistled to herself a bit and looked around carelessly.

I sat up and noticed some bandages, "You... you saved me?" I asked.

"Yep!" She chimed.

"Why?" I asked.

"I didn't want you to die. Simple as that." She smiled.

"Any particular reason?" I asked.

"To get the scroll of course but I knew you didn't have it. So, I decided to save you. You used up all your chakra and I had to give you a food pill to boost your chakra back to normal." Moeru smiled.

"Thank you Moeru. I appreciate it. I really do." I smiled.

She giggled, "No need to thank me. You just owe me one, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay. I promise to repay you one day."


	14. Ch 14 Chunin Exams Part 4

**Ch. 14 The Chunin Exams Part 4**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

I watched Moeru go into the forest, leaving me with a rapidly dying fire. I checked my pouches and noticed she searched through them. Heh, she was hoping I had my team's scroll. Sly, very sly. I'll give her that one. Now the big question... WHERE THE FUCK AM I!?

'...I just allowed her to leave... Why didn't I follow her!? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I'm alone in this fucking forest again!' I thought angrily.

I tried to stand up, but my body suddenly shivered with intense pain. My... my chakra hasn't completely returned. I can feel it... ten percent? Why is it at ten percent? Why did I lose so much chakra?

I sat there trembling from the sudden outburst of pain, 'I need to do something about this. I need to start packing medicine in my extra pouch. Since I'm stuck here, I'll think about what I should pack. Some Bandages, Food Pills, and maybe some common anti-venom.' I thought to myself.

I heard birds chirping overhead and noticed how... peaceful, the forest looked. Did Moeru clear the area of danger? Wait... how long have I been asleep? I only wish I knew how Alexia and Layla are doing. Some bushes began to shuffle, and I struggled to stand. My body hunched over with one eyes closed from the pain of standing. I was fine a moment ago, did whatever drug Moeru give me, wear off? I'm almost in desperate need of a painkiller but will that help me? It might have adverse side effects that hinder my senses. Out of the bushes, appeared the very last person I expected to see, it was my sister!

"Hello little brother." She chimed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Who says that I am?" Mary asked.

"Huh?" I asked with a dumb look.

She raised her arms, "How do you know this is reality?" she asked.

I flinched, "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. I could be your subconscious using someone you look up to, to help drive you towards the correct conclusion, about the current situation." Mary smiled.

"Huh... Or you're just an imposter. You're using my sister to mess with my head and get me to trust you." I theorized.

"Oh really? Think about this. You pass out and suddenly wake up to Moeru. Isn't that a little... odd? She, miraculously, finds you just before you pass out, and saves you? Where are her teammates? Why is she even in this part of the forest alone?" Mary told me.

"...Hm..." I looked down and glared at the dirt, "You have a point there." I muttered.

"My best guess, genjutsu." Mary told me.

"Genjutsu? When would they be able to do that?" I asked.

"Idiot, you should be able to remember how effective genjutsu is. We learned about it in the academy." Mary frowned angrily.

I remembered back to when they taught us about Genjutsu, 'Hm... genjutsu. A type of jutsu that uses one of the five senses as a vector to disrupt a ninja. Vague but what genjutsu is, isn't important. It's how to break it. The only way I can break free is if the caster stops it, I break the flow of it, or someone else gives me chakra. Hm...' I held my hands almost like I'm praying, "Release!" I yelled.

"...You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" Mary asked before disappearing.

"Yeah... it's never easy. Hm... so what to do... I... I guess I just give up..." I spoke to myself.

I laid down and stared up before realizing what I'm doing. Giving up isn't going to help, it's only going to make things worse! I stood up and forced myself to make the release sign. I began using every bit of chakra I had, charging it up for this desperate effort.

"Release!" I screamed, using up as much chakra as possible.

* * *

 **-Reality-**

I opened my eyes with a gasp, only to be met with intense darkness. Currently, I was strung up from a tree by my feet. I could hear owls hooing from a long distance with several insects chirping throughout the forest. I tried to reach for my equipment, but they were stripped from my person. Using more chakra, I made a shadow clone that fell to the ground.

I whispered to him, "Look for our equipment and grab a kunai from it."

He nodded quickly as I felt like my legs were going to be torn off. Whoever did this to me, kept the weights on to strain my legs. To make it worse, the fall is going to hurt no matter what.

'Shit... was it those cloud ninja that did this? When would they... wait... I never actually saw their third member! Did he hide like a bitch to hit me with Genjutsu?' I wondered.

I waited for my clone to come back but he never did. I just hung there helplessly like a full course meal for the forest animals. My clone must have gotten killed and I don't have enough chakra to make another one. Plus, the blood rushing to my head doesn't help.

"How did you break the Genjutsu?" I heard Denise say.

I looked around until I saw Denise come out of some bushes, "I have a better question. How did you get me under the genjutsu?" I asked back.

"You were under the genjutsu before we even fought. You were under it after dodging my Lightning Arrow. I was going to go for another attack, but Jerome stopped me. It wasn't necessary. You were helpless, so we just tied you up and hung you here." Denise informed.

I decided to be nice, "...If I ask really nicely... would you let me down?"

"No." Denise replied quickly.

"Please?"

"No! Right now, we're looking for your friends to make a trade."

"Come on, be neighborly." I chuckled.

"We're not neighbors." Denise glared.

"Alright, look. The blood is rushing to my head, I'm dizzy, hungry, and all I want is to be upright. Can you please just lower me down to the ground?" I asked politely.

"Sorry, but I'm not letting you down." Denise sighed with obvious aggravation.

"Well... you already did let me down." I grinned.

She flipped me off, "I hate Leaf Ninja."

"It's because I'm white, isn't it? Racist." I accused.

"I'm not racist!" Denise yelled.

"Then your sexist." I declared.

"I am not sexist you pig!" Denise yelled.

I continued to mess with her, "Only a sexist woman would call a man, a pig."

"You piece of... fine!" Denise allowed me lay on the ground and I felt so much better.

"Thanks. You look so much better this way." I smiled.

She blushed, "What?"

"You look a lot better like this than upside-down. I like that your skin has a nice shine to it. Do you lotion or anything?" I asked with innocent curiosity.

"Well..." She started twirling her hair, "Yes... I care for my skin regularly."

"It really shows. Your face looks so soft along with your lips." I smirked.

"Oh really?" She pulled out a kunai and flipped me onto my back, "I don't appreciate it when I'm lied to." Denise warned as she held the kunai against my cheek, "I also hate getting hit on by captives. Last captive lost an eye, what about you?"

I swallowed hard, "I'll stay quiet and not get injured... please?"

She twirled the kunai and put it away, "Good answer."

'Hm... So that didn't work... I'm tied down with wire so if I wiggle too much, it might cut my wrists. I can't make any handsigns either... Shit...' I sighed aloud.

"So... what's your name?" Denise asked.

"Rui." I answered quietly.

There was a long silence between us after that, "It was... nice of you to compliment me." She suddenly said to me.

"Your welcome. I was trying to butter you up, but I guess there was some truth to what I said." I admitted.

"Dating anyone?" Denise asked.

"No. You?"

"Yeah. I'm dating someone named Jerome." Denise smiled.

"You mean the muscular guy?" I asked.

"Yep, that's him!" she chimed.

She started giggling slightly and bounced a bit, "You must really like him." I realized from her giggling.

"Yeah! He's awesome! One day, he spent seven hours at a festival just to win me the grand prize. It was a variety of giant stuffed animals." Denise chimed excitedly.

"Just for that, he spent seven hours? Wow, he must really care about you." I smiled.

"Yeah. Charlie is jealous but I don't give a damn. I love Jerome and not him." Denise smiled so... proudly at that.

"You must be so bashful since two guys might be fighting over you." I chuckled.

She gave me a sheepish smile, "Maybe so. What about you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, clearly confused.

"Don't be so coy." She giggled.

I frowned, "I can't be coy if I'm honestly confused."

"You have two kunoichi as your teammates, right?" Denise asked.

I raised a brow, "Yeah, so?"

"Then isn't it possible that they fight over you?" Denise asked.

"I don't think they would." I sighed.

"Why's that?" Denise asked.

"I have nothing to interest them with. Alexia is too focused on impressing her family and Layla likes hot guys, not an ugly one like me." I muttered.

"To be honest, 9 out of 10 times, a guy will be wrong on what a kunoichi likes. Some of us like hot guys, others like nice guys... then there are those that like helpless guys." She smiled.

"What do you mean by helpless guys?" I asked.

"Ninja like you, currently. Tied up. Young. Helpless. To some Kunoichi, you're just begging to be raped." Denise explained.

"I'm pretty sure a guy can't be raped." I scoffed.

"Not true. When a man rapes a woman, it's very simple, straight forward. Forces her down, rams himself in, gets his rocks off. If it's a group, the rape lasts longer. Simple as that. Females tend to be more... psychological. It's a lot more humiliating for a man to get raped. The memory changes them forever in a negative way. They act different, distant. Depression sets in, people don't believe that they were raped, people make fun of him. Then he might commit suicide. The end. Woman get raped and they can move on with help. Men, can't. The memory festers and festers and festers and festers until it just forces itself out into the open. You try to forget, you try to act like it never happened, but it did, and it will always haunt you. You get yourself a girlfriend and try to play it off by saying it'll feel good with her but then the thoughts come back. You feel like it's not really your girlfriend and your tied up again. Staring up at that horrid woman as she takes out a kunai to cut your clothing. She's ready to force her will upon you and infect your mind with a horrific event. She whispers about your uselessness. That no one can save you and, in the end, no one does. You cry, realizing slowly that her insults have a hint of truth behind them. Then, when it's over, she whispers about next time and you worry about her coming back." Denise looked up at the leaves before sighing.

"That... how do you know all that? Were you raped?" I asked.

"Hahahahaha! No! I thought you were paying attention. I was talking about a man getting raped by a woman. The reason I know this, is because of my brother. He was raped by a kunoichi from the Mist. He used to be so outgoing and fun. Then he went on that mission and came back a crying mess that refuses to even look at me. In the end, he committed suicide, but I got him to spill his guts before that. It was sad... My brother... he was never going to be happy ever again. Some of his scars were... horrific. What they did to him was unacceptable." Denise looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry..." I frowned, feeling bad for her.

"Don't. Just heed my warning. Avoid getting captured at all costs. Sometimes suicide is the only answer." Denise warned.

I was going to say something, but our conversation was interrupted. Her teammates showed up with my teammates.

Jerome looked irritated, "They have the same scroll..." he groaned.

"What?" Denise looked dumbfounded.

"We both have the same scroll. Meaning, this entire thing was pointless. We wasted about 8 hours just to find out we have the same scroll." Jerome groaned more.

"Rui, are you okay?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. Think you can free me now, Denise?" I asked nicely.

"Oh, sure." She quickly untied me, "There you go."

"Thank you. Now, where have you two been?" I asked Alexia and Layla.

"Well..."

* * *

 **-Memory of Alexia and Layla-**

The two of them are wandering through the forest looking for Rui. The two rivals keep glaring at each other, but they stop glaring for a moment to have a conversation. After all, they used to be such great friends before.

"How did you pass the first test?" Layla asked.

"Well, I examined the test and couldn't answer any of them." Alexia admitted.

Layla scratched the back of her head, "Yeah... I couldn't either." Layla chuckled.

"So, then I started looking around the room and quickly noticed most of us were cheating. I'm guessing that they were testing how well we can gather information. About 10 people in the room were blazing through the questions. Using my Sharingan, I copied one of their movements and answered 90 percent of the test. The other ten percent... I just did my best. Then... there were the sudden failures. The person I cheated off was suddenly failed just as he finished. It was like... he was set up to fail. Using my Sharingan, I could tell he wasn't using any jutsu, so he never cheated. If that's true... then maybe they weren't truly Genin. They were all Leaf Ninja as well and that makes it even more suspicious." Alexia explained.

"Hm... I cheated off the people next to me by knocking them out with my curse mark jutsus. Then I used my marks to trace their answers and transferred them to my paper." Layla smirked.

"Did Rui cheat?" Alexia asked.

"To be honest, I don't think he did. Speaking of Rui, I think I should say this now. I'm the one that's going to date him." Layla sneered in Alexia's face.

"I don't think so." Alexia replied.

"What makes you say that?" Layla asked.

"I'm the one that's close to him. Not you." Alexia replied calmly.

Layla started laughing, "Alexia, you got friend zoned!"

"So, did you, idiot." Alexia glared.

"Yeah, well... that's only now! If I tell him my true feelings, then he'll have to like me!" Layla yelled defiantly.

"Before or after he stops laughing?" Alexia asked, crossing her arms.

Layla flipped her off, "Fuck you tramp. The only way you'd get with him is if you placed him under genjutsu!" Layla retorted.

Alexia glared at her with the Sharingan, "How about I place you under genjutsu?"

"If you did, he'd be more worried about me and spend less time with you." Layla grinned.

Alexia scoffed, "Please, he doesn't like you that much. Stop thinking so highly about yourself, you dumb cunt."

Layla was about to say something, but a soft explosion stopped their bickering, "Did you hear that?" Layla asked.

"Yeah. I bet you one night's dinner that Rui got screwed over." Alexia replied.

"Deal." Layla grinned as they jumped up.

* * *

 **-Present-**

"So? What happened?" Rui asked again.

"It's... been a challenge." Alexia chuckled nervously.

Layla sighed, "What happened to you, Rui? Those burns don't look normal."

"Giant Caterpillar. Damn thing fucking ate me, and the saliva did this to me. I got out using explosives and then these kind fellows captured me." I replied.

"Well... at least you're alive. Here, to show how happy I am. Let me hug you." Layla suggested.

"Ugh!" I coughed as Layla's hug almost crushed me.

"Sorry." Layla chuckled.

"Yeah..." I eyed Alexia and Layla as they glared at each other, "Can you guys just tell me what is going on with you two? This is serious. We can't pass if you two don't cooperate." I frowned.

"You want the truth? We're rivals and I'm not letting her one up me in anything. Not even your friendship." Layla replied in a half lie.

"Yeah. We're better friends, right Rui?" Alexia asked.

"No! He's my better best friend! I'm your bestiest friend right Rui?" Layla demanded.

"No, he's not! He's mine!"

"No, mine!"

They started bickering at each other and I pinched my nose in frustration, "Seems like they have issues." Denise giggled.

"Yeah... yep. I don't know what's gotten in them..." I groaned.

"Maybe it's what they want in them." She suggested.

"Yeah, maybe you'r- what?" I asked quickly.

"Oh, nothing. Just, good luck." Denise smiled before leaving with her team.

"Can you two shut up!" I yelled, getting their attention, "Look, we need to focus! I want to go home after the exams! Not get digested by some freak of nature! So, you two will shut the hell up and work together! That way, we can fight when we're not in the deep shit! Now, come on! We're leaving now!" I screamed at them.

They hung their heads, "Sorry Rui..."

"Keep your shitty apologies to yourselves and let's go!"

"Right!"

The three of us started jumping into the trees in search for another group of ninjas. This time, we're going to find someone with the opposite scrolls.

"Well then..." Mary appeared with her two guards, "Looks like those two want to date him but... will I let them? Heh. I don't think so." Mary grinned before following them.


	15. Ch 15 Chunin Exams Part 5

**Ch. 15 The Chunin Exams Part 5**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

It's been 3 hours since we started looking for another squad of genin. Along the way, Alexia and Layla periodically glared at each other. It was starting to piss me off. They need to stop being idiots and focus. I've already said that, and I hate having to repeat myself. They didn't argue, so that saved me the trouble of blocking them out at least.

I decided to gain their attention, "Alexia, have you seen anything with your eyes?" I asked, dropping a huge hint.

"Oh, right." She activated her Sharingan, "I don't see any traps or movement."

"That's bad." I sighed.

"Why is that bad?" Layla asked.

"Well, it could mean that no one is around here but it also could mean that someone's lying in wake for us." I answered.

I bit my thumb a bit, thinking of what else to say but Alexia spoke up, "If we get ambushed, that's partially good since it gives us a chance at completing the mission."

"You mean exam." Layla corrected.

"Just shut up Layla." Alexia growled.

I noticed something on the ground, "Wait. Look, bodies." I told them.

We jumped down to the bodies, carefully examining the area, "Looks clear." Alexia reported.

"Same here." Layla added.

I looked at the headbands to see they were Leaf Shinobi, "Looks like someone murdered them without a struggle. There's no other wounds except for a single strike across their throats. Looks like a knife or kunai cut them but this is too deep for that. To make it worse, it looks like they didn't put up a fight and their stuff is gone." I examined.

"What do you make out of this?" Layla asked.

"Well, it looks like someone moved them here. There's no blood on the grass or trees. If they were murdered here, wouldn't their blood be pooled here as well?" I suggested.

"You make a good point. Hm..." Layla thought to herself.

Alexia kept an eye out, "I think someone's coming." She warned.

"Who?" I asked.

"It's... your sister." Alexia shook her head for a moment, in shock.

"Why would she be here? It has to be a transformation jutsu." I replied, refusing to believe it was supposedly my sister.

Then, Mary jumped to land in front of us, "But it is me, little brother."

"M-Mary? What are you doing here? Am I in another genjutsu?" I asked.

"No, you're not my silly little brother. I brought you this, ta daa!" She pulled out a heaven scroll.

"Wait... what scroll do we have?" I asked.

"The Earth Scroll." Layla answered.

"Alright, so how did you know we needed a heaven scroll Mary?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you know. It was just plain luck." Mary chuckled.

"How long have you been following us? Actually, why are you following us?" I questioned.

"I just want to help my brother succeed. Is that so bad?" Mary asked sincerely.

"Mary, I know you're not really here to help me. What are you up to? I want the truth." I glared at her.

Mary rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine. If you want the truth, then I'll tell you. My time here in this pathetic village, is over." Mary sneered.

"W-what?" I stammered.

"The Leaf is going to be destroyed. Crushed. Demolished. I'm leaving to join the Hidden Sound Village. You're coming with me Rui." Mary grinned.

"You're insane if you think I'm going with a traitor like you. Why leave the village, our home, and join the enemy?" I asked.

Mary placed her hands on her hips and started laughing, "Home? This stupid village isn't my home! Hell, you were never meant to be a shinobi anyways!"

"I get that a lot." I frowned.

"No, I mean literally. In fact, you were supposed to die when you were 2 but I brought you to the scientist that changed me. He helped you survive and changed you to become a ninja. Well... to me you're more of a pet. You always were a pet to me and that's why I neglected you so much. I never cared about you. I only wanted you to get stronger so that we can have a decent child." Mary smirked.

"We? As in me and you? Oh... I think I'm gonna puke." I held my mouth shut.

"There's no way I'm letting you do that." Alexia glared.

"Well then, I'll just have to kill you quickly. Seven, nine. Attack." Mary ordered.

Her Male bodyguard with the Halberd rushed at Alexia. Alexia, using her Sharingan, easily dodged his attack and made several handsigns.

"Layla, get the girl!" I ordered, pointing out the female bodyguard.

Layla looked up to see she was in the trees, "Got it! Ninja Art: Cursed Shadow!" Layla recited.

The female's bodyguard was grabbed by its own shadow as Alexia hit the Male Bodyguard with a Fireball Jutsu. It exploded once contact was made, knocking him back. His clothing looked a bit burnt but he was fine nonetheless. When he stood up, an underground clone I made, grabbed his ankles to pull him into the floor. Taking the chance, Layla threw a kunai into his head, but Mary laughed at that.

"You idiots! They're already dead! You can't just kill them!" Mary yelled.

"Then dismember them! If they can't move, what use are they!" I yelled as I ran at the Halberd weilding puppet.

He ran at me with the Halberd reeled back and slashed it at me. I pulled out my shortsword and twisted around to block the edge. I scraped my sword down the staff and tried to cut his right arm off. He jumped back, dropping the halberd, and made a few handsigns.

"Sonic Style-Octive." He recited.

He clapped his hand, releasing an extremely loud and disorienting sound. I dropped my shortsword, immediately hold my hands over my ears in pain. I cracked my eyes open, just in time to see the male guard punch me across my face. I spun onto my hands and knees before trying to get away from him. Alexia and Layla were disoriented as well but still held the female guard off. The male made a couple more handsigns before throwing a punch towards me. A fist of wind induced chakra flew at me and punched me into a tree trunk. It forced some of my body into the tree trunk itself. I struggled as the loud ringing in my ears began to die down and sound returned.

"Sonic Style-Chakra Punch!" The Male guard yelled as he threw another punch towards me.

I forced myself out of the trunk and evaded the attack. When it hit the trunk, it left a 3-foot-deep indent of a fist. I looked at him as he pulled up his halberd and ran at me. I pulled out two kunai and wire before making three clones. My clones attacked me first as I circled around and threw aside the two kunai with attached. He quickly dispatched the clones and I started throwing a smoke bomb at him. Using the cover from the smoke, I used my Earth Style jutsu to hide underground. Using my Shadow Clone jutsu again, I made three more clones and spread out to surround him. We popped out and threw several more kunai with wires attached to them, encasing his movement.

"Time for my own jutsu. I've been working on this for a long time. Ninja Art! Chakra Wire C!" I yelled gripping the wires.

My chakra funnelled through the wires, causing them to become razor sharp. The only thing those wires can't cut, is me. I grabbed the wires near me and pulled, causing them to slice the male guard into large chunks of already dried up dead flesh. Once he was done for, I had my clones take down the wire and get the kunai. That allowed me to change my focus to the female guard.

'Mary is just watching us dispatch her guards. Why? Is she analyzing our skills? Or... is she getting sick pleasure from watching her guards get dismembered?' I wondered.

"Air Bullets!" The female guard yelled, shooting chakra air bullets from her fingertips.

Layla tried to dodge but one of the bullets hit her right arm, piercing through it, "Shit!" Layla yelled.

"Alexia! Double fire style!" I yelled.

"Got it!" we started making handsigns, "Fireball jutsu!"

Alexia and I both attacked the female guard with a combined Fireball jutsu, incinerating a large chunk of the forest around us. Most of her body was burned up with seven of her fingers, including both thumbs, were gone. They just melted from the fire. I turned to my clones and one threw Mempai's Shortsword to me. I caught it and turned to face the female guard as Alexia went to Layla's aid.

Mary caught my attention as she began to clap, "Wonderful, wonderful." She repeated with a laugh, "Now, once you kill that worthless piece of trash, I can easily just replace them!"

"Replace them? What is wrong with you!? Why are you like this?" I asked.

"Why? There is no why. I just do. I just am. I..." Mary closed her eyes before giving me an evil look, "Just am an evil person. The way I see it, I was born from the darkness. I'm its pawn. Its conduit for destruction, for hatred! I get nothing but pleasure from watching a person suffer. From making them into my mindless pawn and having them kill those they love. Nothing but satisfaction flows through my body at the sight of such... evil." Mary replied, coldly with a sick smile.

"You're insane." I replied quietly.

"Insane? Me? In my eyes, you're the one that's insane. You're not even normal and yet you act like you are! You're just an experiment you stupid fuck! An experiment just. Like. Me. Except, you're so... worthless in comparison. Hm... Maybe I should just kill you but kidnapping you just sounds better. Makes it more interesting to kick you around like a slave." Mary snickered.

"No, you're not doing that to Rui. I always knew you were going to be trouble." Alexia growled.

Mary shrugged, "Just kill my other guard so I can kill you and your friend." Mary snickered.

I ran over and cut the female guard's head off, "There! You happy!" I yelled angrily.

Mary started laughing, "Yes. I am. Now," Mary took out her cursed blade slowly, "I can replace them with more... suitable replacements."

"I'm not letting you kill my comrades!" I yelled.

"I've heard that before and it never ends that way. Get ready, here I come!" Mary yelled.

Mary jumped at me with her cursed blade and I jumped towards her with my shortsword. Our swords clashed before pushing us away. We landed on the ground and Alexia quickly backed me with a fireball jutsu. Mary pulled up a sleeve, revealing a seal with the word water on it. She quickly swiped her hand on it, summoning a gush of water.

"Water Style-Water Wall!" She yelled.

The water that pooled around her, quickly shot up to protect her from the Fireball. When the water died down and the steam cleared, Mary was gone. I looked around before jumping up, narrowly avoiding her hand.

"I'm not falling for that." I declared.

"Falling for what?" I heard Mary asked behind me.

I turned my head, seeing her right behind me, "How did you...?"

"Dancing Leaf Shadow. It's Taijutsu." Mary whispered before grabbing me by wrapping her arms around me.

"Oh Shit." I struggled in her grasp.

"Urk!" Mary coughed blood.

Behind Mary, Alexia stabbed her with a kunai. With her Sharingan, she must have copied Mary's movements. Mary looked back into Alexia's eyes before grinning and disappearing. We landed on a tree trunk and stood there. Mary came up from underground and stared at us a moment.

"Rui... it must be sad knowing that mother and father died hating you. I bet you bitch and moan about it when your alone like a pitiful child. Wah, wah, wah. My mommy never loved me!" Mary mocked.

"Shut up! Fire Style! Fireball jutsu!" I yelled, firing a small fireball at the ground.

"...Was that it?" Mary asked.

I grinned, "Fire extension. Minefield Explosion." The fire extended along the wires in the ground, setting off a hundred paperbombs my clones placed earlier.

Alexia and I shield our eyes from the explosion as the wind blew our hair. When the blast subsided, a large 15-foot crater came in view. I didn't see anything that resembled a body, so I knew Mary was still alive.

"Do you see her?" I asked.

"No. Where's Layla though?" Alexia asked.

"Dunno. Probably hiding." I replied.

Mary appeared over us, throwing several shuriken at us. We separated, easily dodging the shuriken as I reached for my kunai. I felt a hard kick as Mary appeared behind me, slamming her foot into my back. I flew down towards the ground but revealed myself to be a shadow clone. I fell from above and sliced Mary in half, revealing her to be a water clone.

'A water clone?' I thought quickly.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye as Mary went towards Alexia, "Behind you!" I screamed.

"Too Late!" Mary yelled as she swiped her cursed blade.

Splat! I felt my eyes widen in shock as Alexia was thrown back. Instead of her getting hit, it was Layla! She protected Alexia by throwing her out of the way. Layla's stomach was cut by Mary's cursed sword. Blood splattered the floor and covered Mary's sword. Layla coughed up some blood before falling onto her back, staring at the sky.

"Layla!" I screamed.

"She's finished. The curse marks are going to kill her and seal her under my control. Now, it's your-" Mary stopped.

I got closer to get a look and saw Alexia was crying until she glared at Mary hatefully. Her Sharingan seemed to have a more intense glare but didn't change at all. Alexia wiped her eyes, looking at the grinning Mary.

"You're dead!" Alexia yelled.

"Yeah, again, I've heard that bef-" Mary suddenly froze.

"Rui! She's hiding behind you! Near the crater!" Alexia yelled, killing Mary's clone with a kunai.

I turned around to see Mary coming out from behind a bush. She started making hands signs and paused before making more handsigns.

"Air Style-Tempest! Fire Style-Forest Devastation!" Mary yelled.

"Dodge!" Alexia yelled, grabbing Layla's body.

I quickly used substitution to hide underground as a clone took my place. Mary mixed the two jutsus effortlessly as she unleashed a devastating fire attack that destroyed at least 100 square feet of forest. Some of the trees were set ablaze as the others directly hit were destroyed. Mary looked around for us before slamming her palms on the floor.

"Earth Style-Fissure!" Mary yelled.

I felt the earth around me shift as I quickly surfaced from the underground. The tunnels collapsed quickly, crushing anything that was underground.

"I'm the one that taught you that jutsu Rui. Did you really think you could hide using it?" Mary asked with a smug look.

I bit my lip, 'Ugh. I can't use Chakra Wire C again, I'm low on chakra, and I don't have any paper bombs left. What to do...' I thought to myself.

Alexia came to my side and pulled out six shuriken before throwing them. After she threw them, Alexia made handsigns and the shuriken multiplied. Mary looked uninterested as she easy blocked the incoming shuriken with her sword. I gripped my shortsword and remembered back to when Menpai Sensei used it. I tried to channel my chakra into it, but nothing happened. Frustrated, I knew I was out of options since my chakra reserves were empty. It was up to Alexia and I knew she couldn't win alone.

"Rui." Alexia spoke suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you for being my friend and comrade." she whispered.

I made a nervous chuckle, "You sound like we're going to die. I have faith in you Alexia, you can-" I felt a sudden burst of chakra.

Alexia gasped and looked towards Layla's body and I copied her movement. Purple aura flared from her position as Layla got up, her wound healed. Is... she being brought back to life as a puppet like Mary said? Then I noticed her sickle curse marks spread across her body before expanding to make her skin purple. Her hair changed as it got slightly longer with the tips turning pink. The pink coloring spread out until her hair color resembles a pink rose. She turned around to face us revealing that the whites in her eyes turned black. Her lips looked as though she put black lipstick on. The purple aura died down as Layla suddenly disappeared. I looked around frantically, trying to locate her but Alexia caught my attention. I looked at her to see she was pointing over to Mary's position.

"How are you still alive?" Mary demanded.

Layla's voice was a lot more sinister than before, "You tried to kill my little sister with a cursed sword. My curse marks negated it. Your sword has no power over me. I even adapted its power to make it heal me through my stitching technique."

"Immune or not. I'm still going to kill you." Mary smirked.

"Go ahead and try." Layla dared.

"Is that really Layla?" I asked.

"No. That can't be Layla. Her chakra is too powerful, and her appearance changed drastically too. She's taller now." Alexia noted.

I gave her a good look and noticed Alexia was right, "You're right. I don't understand how it can't be Layla though." I sighed.

"Didn't she say her clan sealed the older sibling into their younger sibling if they're sick?" Alexia remembered.

"So... that's her older sister?" I wondered.

"It must be. I wonder whose older sister is better. Yours, or Layla's." Alexia swallowed.

"I don't know but hopefully we weakened Mary just enough for her to win." I grumbled.

"Let's get back so we have a safe distance between us and them. You need to rest and with my new sharingan, I can easily observe their movements." Alexia suggested.

I nodded in agreement, "Good idea. Think you can help me? My weights aren't making this easy for me." I replied.

Alexia put my arm around her shoulders and helped me jump back, away from Mary and Layla. The two never stopped glaring at each other. Once we were far away enough, we watched them circle each other.

"Do you think Layla's sister is going to hurt us if she wins?" I asked.

"I'm not sure but if Mary wins, she'll definitely kill us. By watching, we'll at least know some of Layla's sister's techniques." Alexia shrugged.

"Um... you can let go of my arm now." I blushed.

Alexia quickly freed my arm, "Sorry..."

"No problem. Now, on to the entertainment." I replied.

Mary quickly pulled out three shuriken and threw them at Layla. Layla caught them with her fingers before throwing them back. Mary made three more shuriken appear with a summoning to block them. Making quick handsigns, Mary sent a Large barrage of fireballs at Layla. Layla easily dodged them before appearing behind Mary and kicking her back. Mary fell forward onto her knees before jumping up and making more handsigns. This time, two large half boulders came up and tried to squish Layla.

Instead, Layla appeared behind Mary again, "That's not going to work."

Mary suddenly grinned, "Good. This'd be boring if it did. I'll be honest... I'm excited. When I kill you, I'll be stronger for it." Mary replied before disappearing.

'Looks like Mary is going to get serious now. Let's see what you got girls.' I thought to myself.

* * *

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	16. Ch 16 Chun in Exams part 6

**Ch. 16 Chunin Exams Part 6**

 **(Please, review, favorite or follow to support the story.)**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

Mary and Layla stared each other down as we watched from afar. Alexia had her arm out in front of me, creating a protective stance. I glanced at her, noticing her Sharingan still has only two dots. I looked back at my sister, noticing a sudden shift in her form. She extended the blade of her sword behind her and waited for Layla's attack.

Layla's sister pointed a finger at her, "Blood Style - Chakra Vampirism."

Mary raised a brow before visibly shaking in pain. Blood forced itself out from Mary's body and went towards Layla's sister.

Layla's sister smirked, "I am Saki. The last Blood Style user of my clan. Blood Shot!"

Using Mary's own blood and chakra, Saki created a condensed blood bullet and shot it towards Mary. Mary slash her sword at the bullet, but it separated and reformed around the blade. The bullet hit her shoulder and pierced her easily. Then she exploded into a cloud of smoke.

Saki looked around, "Oh... Substitution. Surprising... Now..." Saki held up one hand making unique hand signs, "Blood Haze."

A harsh red mist began to come out of every pore on Saki's body. The haze began to expand and cover the area until we couldn't see anymore. Every breath we took harmed us with a blood aftertaste and smell. The iron was all I could taste before coughing with Alexia.

"What is this shit!?" Alexia demanded.

"Cough! Cough! A haze made from blood turned into a thick gas!" I coughed.

Alexia helped me up, "We should run away while we can."

Suddenly, our mouths were covered with firm grips, "Now, now." Saki looked at us with an almost psycotic glimpse in her eyes, "You weren't thinking about leaving me here, did you?" she asked.

She stopped covering our mouths, "Layla, we wouldn't-"

Saki glared at me and said in a deathly serious voice, "It's Saki."

I swallowed hard, "My apologies, Saki, we wouldn't leave you."

Alexia nodded, "Yeah. You're still our friend."

"Good. I used my power to help you breathe. Now, don't even think about running away. I haven't been in battle in years, and I want nothing more than to enjoy myself." Saki grinned.

Saki disappeared, leaving us in a cold sweat, "We're so dead..." I muttered.

"Who do we root for?" Alexia asked.

"Saki. She could be our friend like Layla is..." I replied.

"Do you really believe that?" Alexia asked.

"...I don't know." I replied honestly.

The haze disappeared with a large explosion as Saki and Mary began clashing. Mary used shuriken lined with razor wires to try and limit Saki's movement. Saki didn't seem to care about the razor wires until it surrounded her. Mary jumped to the floor and smacked it with an open palm.

"Earth Style - Sublevel 3 Crater!" Mary yelled, causing the ground to cave in suddenly.

Saki fell as the wires coiled around her and stopped all movement. We watched in horror as Saki's tied up body fell to the bottomless crater. Then, her body began to become a deep red haze and floated out of the hole. She reformed near an edge, across from Mary.

Saki observed her, "Earth Style. Advanced. Unique jutsu. Must be your affiliated chakra nature. Blood... Blood is Earth, Water and Wind combined into one. Blood Style - Red Frequency Cutter."

Saki swiped her arm towards Mary but didn't make any sort of attack. Mary looked worried as she jumped overhead, dodging the invisible attack. That's when I saw a tree get cut clean through with blood along the cut.

"Crescent Moon Cut!" Mary yelled, appearing behind Saki.

Saki calmly blocked the attack with a blood laced kunai, "Swordsman Taijutsu. More unique skills. What is your kekkei genkai?"

Mary hung her head, "I have no kekkei genkai. I was experimented on to become my perfect self. If not, I wouldn't be much better than my worthless younger brother."

Saki snickered a bit, "Worthless younger brother? I don't care who you are, no one should disrespect their siblings!"

Saki punched Mary in the gut and jumped back with a hand stretched towards her. Mary disappeared and reappeared behind Saki.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow." Mary whispered before kicking Saki's back into the air.

"Ugh! Not good. I can't use jutsu for another few seconds." Saki grunted.

I flinched, "She can't use jutsu? Why?"

Alexia's eyes widened, "Blood loss..."

I gasped, "Oh shit. You're right. Her jutsu requires blood as well as chakra."

Mary threw up a kunai at Saki, but she dodged it. To our surprise, Mary teleported to it and kicked Saki in the face.

"Agh!" Saki yelled.

"Spiral Barrage!" Mary yelled.

The kick forced Saki to spin as Mary attacked her. Saki did her best to blocked and counter, but the blood loss affected her movements. When they were four feet from the ground, Mary forced Saki's arms apart and slammed her feet on Saki's stomach. Saki screamed in pain as she hit the floor and created a deep crater.

"Is Saki okay?" I asked.

Alexia gasped, "I don't know!"

We watched the dust clear as Saki's hand feebly extended out of the crater. She struggled to get up, coughing some blood onto the ground. Mary jumped down, eyeing Saki with a victorious grin. I thought she was going to kill her, but the blood that Saki coughed, shot Mary in the stomach.

"Ack!" Mary gasped, staggering back, "You... didn't make any hand signs!"

Saki looked up at her, transforming back to Layla, "I don't need to... controlling my blood is just that natural..."

Layla collapsed onto the ground, unmoving, once her sister retreated into the curse mark. Mary could still move, but covered her stomach wound in agony. I jumped forward, throwing kunai at her except she jumped back to dodge it. Mary jumped towards me, much to my surprise, and tried to stab me with her cursed sword. I pulled out Sensei's chakra blade and blocked her attack as we floated for a moment.

"You're still too weak." She whispered.

I tried using more force, however, I couldn't as she kicked me in the stomach, "Agh!" I grunted, falling to the ground.

I rolled on the floor, losing Sensei's sword. I tried to get up and ended up having Mary land on top of my back. I screamed out in pain until she stepped on the back of my head.

I looked up at her in horror, 'Am I... going to die?'

Alexia screamed, "No!" as she full body tackled Mary off me, biting her neck as they fell back.

I watched in shock as Mary fell onto her back screaming from Alexia biting her neck. Mary dropped her sword to quickly punch Alexia off her. I saw the bite mark on her neck, with a lot of blood dripping off it.

Mary coughed, "You psychotic slut! Trying to... cough... bite open my throat to protect him like that. Cough cough! You must... really like him to do something that desperate. Die you bitch!" Mary yelled, pulling out a kunai to kill Alexia.

I forced myself to get up and shielded Alexia, "Rui?" Alexia asked in horror.

I took the kunai to the stomach and grunted in pain as Mary pushed hard to cut deeper. I could hear Alexia start panting in horror as Mary pushed me off the blade. I staggered back and fell onto the ground staring up at the sky. I turned my head to look at Alexia and smiled at her.

She was crying, "Was I... useful?"

Her eyes widened in despair as I said that to her, "Rui... why!? Why would you protect me like that!? Why didn't you just run away if you could move!?"

I looked at the trees overhead, "I wanted to protect you. How could I not when you were my best friend...?"

I looked at Alexia, closing my eyes as she cried with her Sharingan. I saw it begin to move as a third dot formed and then I passed out.

* * *

 **{Third Person Point of View}**

'Rui...' Alexia thought as she began to get up, "You bitch..."

Mary gasped, falling to one knee, "She... must have poisoned me with her blood."

Alexia got up and glared at Mary with her full fledge Sharingan, "I'll kill you for what you did!"

Mary laughed at her, "I don't get why you're so mad. It's not like he loved you. My brother is too far gone for that sort of thing. Just look at the way he acts, lifeless, empty, and, above all, absolutely worthless."

"..." Alexia closed her eyes and opened them wide, "Shut up."

Mary froze, stuck in Genjutsu as Alexia slowly walked over to her. She picked up Mary's sword and looked at it for a moment before going over to Mary. Without any hesitation, Alexia cut Mary's head off and watched as the body twitched for a moment. Once it stopped moving, Alexia made some handsigns and burned her body to ashes. When it was over, she fell to her knees and looked at her two friends.

"Layla... Layla! Rui needs our help! Please!" She held herself up, crying, "Please..."

Layla began to move, "Ugh... Cough!"

Alexia looked at her, still crying, "Layla!"

Layla slowly got up and looked around, "What... happened?"

Alexia pointed at Rui's body, "Rui's badly hurt! We need to save him!"

Layla looked at him and walked towards the body, "We... we don't know any medical ninjutsu."

Alexia screamed desperately, "Just do something!"

Layla and Alexia stripped Rui down to his boxers and used Cursed stitching jutsu to close the wounds. Alexia looked through Rui's belongings and found a medical ointment. She rubbed it on his cuts and severe wounds.

Alexia sat next to Rui, looking at him in worry, "What exactly happened after my sister got beaten?" Layla asked.

Alexia kept staring at Rui sadly but answered her, "He protected me with his body."

Layla looked at Rui's unconscious face before laying her ear on his chest, "Gasp!" she sat up, "Alexia, listen!"

Alexia laid her ear on Rui's chest and listened to his steady heart beat, "He's alive..." she whispered.

Layla set out a sigh of relief, "Thank god..."

Alexia looked at Mary's ashes, "She didn't kill him."

Layla looked at the ashes, "Did you do that?"

Alexia nodded, "Yes, I burnt her body until it was nothing but an ash pile."

Layla looked at Alexia in shock, "Isn't that a bit excessive?"

Alexia glared at Layla, "After what she did to us, nothing is excessive. That bitch deserved to burn until she was nothing but ash."

Layla shivered at Alexia's glare, 'She's... scary when she gets like this...'

Alexia focused on Rui, "What... should we do?"

"About what?" Layla asked back, needing clarification.

"The exam... it'll be over in two days. Rui... won't heal that quickly." Alexia frowned.

Layla looked down, "We'll have to carry him. If not, we won't make it."

Alexia looked at Rui worriedly, but nodded, "Do you remember which way it was?"

Layla looked up, "No..."

Alexia sighed, "Figures." she caressed Rui's cheek, "I bet Rui would know..."

Layla looked at Alexia, "We need to settle this."

Alexia looked at her, "Settle what?"

Layla looked at Rui, "We both like him, but I want to date him, and I know you do too."

"..." Alexia stayed silent.

"After the Exams, I want us to fight for our right to date him." Layla declared.

Alexia looked at her with the Sharingan, "Are you sure about that Layla?"

Layla noticed it was different but nodded, "Yes."

Alexia turned off her Sharingan, "Fine."

With both scrolls thanks to Mary, they began to inspect the Area. Layla climbed to the top of the forest and spotted the tower. It was about a day's journey from their current position. In the distance, smoke and explosions showed the locations of other Genin. Alexia took the time to hide Mary's ashes and the sword she used. It was far too dangerous for anyone to have.

Alexia met back with Layla after they did their job, "I hid the ashes and sword."

Layla nodded, "I found the tower, we need to head Northeast."

Alexia looked at Rui, "Okay, let's do this but we need to be careful."

Alexia and Layla both helped pick up Rui to start moving through the forest. They needed to find the tower and pass the exam. As they moved through the forest neither of them could sense it, but their once unbreakable bond has started to wane. It is merely cracked now but when the time comes, it just might shatter. All because they're both in love with Rui...

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

I woke up to the sound of rushing water and felt my body ache with pain, "Where... am I? Did I... die?"

I heard running as Alexia came to my side, "Rui!" she yelled.

"Alexia...? Did... Mary still kill you?" I asked groggily.

Alexia shook her head no, "You saved me, and I killed her. Don't worry, Layla is alright too. She's scouting ahead." I tried to move but she stopped me, "Don't move."

I groaned, "I thought I was going to die..."

Alexia made me look at her, "I already told you, I don't want you to die!"

I tried to avoid eye contact, "I'm sorry."

Alexia narrowed her eyes, "You're sorry? For what!?"

I frowned, "I didn't do much against Mary and I've been in the way the entire exam."

Alexia grabbed my cheeks, "Rui..."

She forced me to kiss her on the lips. We stayed like that for a minute before she pulled back and stared at me.

I blushed hard, "I..."

She blushed as well, "I'm sorry. You really scared the hell out of me by almost dying."

I looked aside as some bushed shuffled, "You bitch..." I heard Layla mutter.

I turned my head the best I could to look at Layla, "Hi."

Layla glared at me, "Don't 'hi' me when I just walked in. I saved your life too, I want a kiss."

I blushed hard, "What the hell is wrong with you two!? Are you guys sure you're not dating and trying to make a threesome happen?"

Layla grabbed my face, "Shut up." she ordered, kissing me as well.

Alexia flared up, "You had to ruin our moment!"

Layla pulled back, "Of course I did! I'm not letting you one up me!"

I look both, "What's going on?"

They both glare at me, "It's not our fault you're so dense!" they both yell.

(0_0) I blushed, "O-okay."

They glared at each other before pouting angrily, "Well... we need to keep moving. We have until the end of the day to get to the tower." Alexia reminded.

I asked, "I was out for that long?"

Layla nodded, "You almost died, of course you'd be out cold. I expected you to still be unconscious though."

I shrugged, "I guess I'm tougher than I look."

Layla looked at Alexia, "I'll carry him first."

Alexia shook her head no, "I'll carry him first." she replied.

I groaned, "Guys, why don't both of you just carry me!?"

They glared at each other, "Fine!" they yelled.

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later-**

Layla and Alexia worked hard to get us to the tower. When we arrived, the doors were locked but had our team number on it. Layla started touching the door before hearing a click. The doors opened by themselves, allowing us to enter. Inside, we found a large paper on the wall telling us to open the scrolls.

Layla and Alexia carefully put me down, but I decided to make a joke, "Huh... open the scrolls? I wonder what that's supposed to mean?"

I chuckled a bit as they just stared at me, "Really?" Layla asked.

Alexia giggled, "It was kind of funny."

Layla glared at her, "Don't try to bullshit me! You know it wasn't funny."

Alexia scratched the back of her neck, "Heh... sorry."

Layla and Alexia took out the scrolls and opened them at the same time. The second they did, our Sensei appeared in front of us.

"Sensei!" We all yelled.

He looked at us, "How did you guys enjoy the first two exams."

"It sucked!" All three of us yelled.

Alexia pointed at me, "Rui almost died! Twice!"

Sensei held up his hands, "Calm down. I understand. The second exam is a killer. You don't understand how many genin die here."

"What happens now?" I asked.

Our Sensei smiled, "We wait for the second exam to be completely over. Rui, you'll come with me, so you can be healed."

I sighed happily, "Thank goodness."

"What about us?" Layla asked.

Sensei answered her, "You two will go into the lounge room. There's three beds and plenty of food. Tomorrow, the third exam will begin."

Sensei helped me up, "Thanks Sensei."

He nodded towards me, "You must have worked hard. We'll talk about it while you're healing. See you two later."

Layla and Alexia waved as we disappeared, only to reappear in a medical wing. Several ninjas with medical ninjutsu saw my injuries and tried to help me. After that, I spent three hours being healed by various medical ninjutsu. Once it was finally over, Sensei visited me.

"So... can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Anything Sensei." I replied.

Sensei looked at the wall, "Do you think Menpai Sensei wanted you to learn his jutsu?"

I took a deep breath, "I don't know... during the exam I think I used my chakra to make lightning. It was channeled into his sword when I was fighting a few cloud genin."

Sensei smiled at me, "After the third exam, I'll take you with me for some special training."

"You will?" I asked.

He nodded, "I'll teach you about chakra natures personally."

I felt so happy, "You will!? Thank you!"

He started laughing, "Don't take it lightly. Chakra natures isn't something easy to learn."

I nodded, "I know but I'll do my best Sensei!"

He pats my head, "I know you will Rui. I'm proud of you."

I blushed, feeling his praise sink into my very soul, "Do you mean that Sensei?"

He nodded, "Of course. You've been a great student, despite being behind Layla and Alexia. To be honest, I was worried you were going to die. Oh... and your sister has gone missing."

I couldn't hide my surprise, 'That's right... he doesn't know she's dead.' I coughed, "Well... she'll pop up eventually."

He looked at me, "Right..."

I could tell he knew something was off, "I'm really tired Sensei. Can I rest?" I asked.

He got up, "Sure. I'll be here first thing tomorrow more with Layla and Alexia. While you sleep, I'll tell them that you'll make a full recovery. Night."

I watched Sensei leave and started to let my mind wander until I fell asleep. As I did, I started to feel weird with the memory of Mary stabbing me.

* * *

 **(Memory)**

Mary stabbed me in the stomach with her kunai. Using her other hand, she slipped a large coil of wire into one of my ninja pouches.

She whispered, "A little present from me. Don't waste it."

Did she really give me wire? If so, why would she do that? Did she know she was going to die?


	17. Ch 17 Chunin Exams Part 7

**Ch. 17 Chunin Exams, Part 7**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

I woke up the next day and felt completely fine even though I almost died. I sat up and turned my body to swing my legs off the edges. My clothes and weapon pouches were laid out on a desk next to my bed. I looked around, seeing no other patients or doctors before getting up. I have a lot of modesty when it comes to my body. Once my sweater was zipped up, I inspected my weapon pouches. To my surprise, Sensei must have filled them while I was asleep. One pouch had a few more Kunai, smoke bombs, paper bombs and shuriken. In my second pouch, I found a large coil of wire and ran my finger on it. My chakra began to seep into it and started making the wire glow blue.

'Interesting... It reacts to chakra differently in comparison to Menpai Sensei's sword. It looks like even the slightest amount of chakra can reinforce the wire. Question is... does it cut flesh and bone effectively?' I wondered.

I heard the door open, causing me alarm so I put the wire away. It was my Sensei, Dark, and he looked happy, despite having his face mostly covered.

I attached my second weapon pouch underneath my sweater, "Hi Sensei." I smiled.

He nodded his greetings, "Ready for the third test?"

I shrugged, "Ready as I'll ever be."

He closed his eyes chuckling, "You're usually more negative but I guess the exams are changing you."

I smiled a bit, "I guess so, despite nearly being murdered twice."

He grabbed my shoulder, "You'll do fine, even if you don't pass."

With that, Sensei nudged his head, urging me to follow. We walked for a good twenty minutes before reaching a large arena type room. In there, 20 contestants waiting with Iicha Uchiha and his guard standing in front of them. Layla and Alexia waved me over, causing me to run towards them. As I did, I eyed our competition to see who were left. Including us, there were 6 leaf, 3 sand, 3 sound, 3 cloud, 3 stone, and 3 mist ninja. All of them looked determined and ready to complete the next part of the exam. That orange hair kid looked at me grinning, with his douchebag teammates. I also noticed that their squad's Sensei's were there as well.

'I hate that fucking kid...' I thought angrily.

Iicha coughed to get our attention, "Welcome all of you to the final part of the Chunin Exam! I'm sure you are all excited but first let me introduce you to your proctor!"

A Leaf Shinobi stepped forward. She had beautiful blue eyes and long blonde hair that extended past her shoulders. She wore chain male underneath a tight white tank top with small breasts. A green unzipped leaf village Flak Jacket covered her arms and shoulders. Her facial expression looked neutral or just plain unhappy. Her headband hangs off her neck like a bandana with long black leggings covering her legs. On her feet were the traditional blue Ninja sandals, doesn't anyone just wear something on their feet... besides me.

God, she even sounded depressed, "Sigh, welcome to the third exam, blah blah blah, my name is Saraki, blah blah blah."

Iicha did a strained smile, "You could act like you're excited to be here."

Saraki looked at him, hands on hips, "I'm sorry Lord Hokage. I'm not happy today."

Iicha laughed, "When are you ever happy?"

Saraki shrugged, "You got a point there. Alright! The third and final exam is a good old fashioned one on one fight! There will be a number of rounds where the final victor will become a Chunin!"

I raised my hand, "Wait, so it's just a fight?"

She looked at me like I'm retarded, "Yeah, do you still have dirt in your ears dumbass?"

"No!" I yelled back. D:

"Good. Now, since there are 21 of you, one person will get to go to the next round without a fight. Unless one of you isn't confident enough to compete in this round. So, is anyone willing to step down?"

The room was silent until one the Kyle's teammates raised his hand, "What are you doing!?" Kyle demanded.

Nick looked at him, "I'm still not ready to fight one on one, plus... Do you really want to risk that kid having a free round?"

Kyle looked at me, "Yeah... I wouldn't like that... okay. We'll try our best to win it for you Nick."

Nick smiled at him, walking out of the group, "Alright, that's one failure. Anyone else?" No one moved, "Alright, now everyone go with your Sensei to the observation floor. We'll begin the first round shortly." Saki declared.

The observation floor is just a small red walkway with a high fence. My squad and Kyle's squad went to opposite sides of the room. The Sand ninja were near us with Moeru leaning over the Fence. She looked at me, winking cutely for a moment. I looked away with a blush and heard her giggle.

Layla nudged me, "You don't really like her, do you?"

"..." I looked down, "She's just really attractive."

Layla smacked the back of my head, "You know it's a trick, right?"

I rubbed my head, "Ow. You didn't have to hit me..."

Saraki gained our attention, "Everyone! Look up at the screen!"

"There's a screen?" I asked, looking at the wall to our left.

Sure enough, there a giant screen that looked bigger than my apartment over a statue representing a handsign. The black screen has all of our names on it. It began to change with two names on screen but then it started shuffling between all of them with versus in the middle. I watched the screen until it finally stopped on two names.

"The first match will be between the sound ninja Maji and mist ninja Mizuki." Saki declared.

Both ninja is female and jumped to the arena. Saki explained the rules stating that anything can be used in the fight. The winner is determined when one or both fighters are unable to continue. The Mist kunoichi used Water style... big surprise... while the Sound ninja girl used special bells to cast genjutsu, snore. I think I nearly fell asleep until a large wave of water hit me into the wall.

"Ow... why me?" I groaned.

Layla laughed her ass off as Alexia checked on me. The fight ended with the Mist ninja girl winning with a Water dragon. The second fight was between one of the sand ninja, not Moeru, a man and a male stone ninja. The two of them had no special skills at all, they just ended up knocking each other out at the same time.

They were taken out of the room as Saki pointed at the screen, "Alright for the next fight!" The names stopped at Rui versus Kyle, "Rui versus Kyle!"

I jumped over the fence and landed on the ground heavily, 'I forgot about my weights...' I thought to myself.

Kyle jumped down as well, sneering, "You're about to get your ass kicked in front of everyone."

I still had my weights on and decided to take them off before hand, "I'm not going easy on you this time." I replied.

He laughed, "You went easy on me? That's hilarious!"

I took off the weights, feeling 200 pounds leaving my legs, "God that feels so much better." I sighed.

I threw them up to Layla, watching her catch them, "Are you two ready?" Kyle and I nodded as she swung a hand down, "Begin!"

I ran towards him at a speed he hasn't achieved, "What?" he asked in shock.

I punched him in the stomach hard, "You're going to regret everything you've done to me." I whispered.

I picked him up with my fist, allowed him to drop and slammed my foot into the spot I punched. He was sent sprawling back until he rolled to a stop. I watched him struggle to his feet before looking at me.

"Is that the best you got?" Kyle asked.

I shrugged, "Maybe."

Kyle formed some hand signs, "Fire Style-Burn out!"

I did some as well, "Fire Style-Firball jutsu!"

We both blew our attacks and watched them cancel each other out, "So... you know fire style now?" Kyle asked.

I shook my head no, "Only that one in particular."

Kyle threw a kunai at me, but I dodged it with a quick sidestep, "Afraid to come near me?" I asked.

He grumbled something before throwing some smoke bombs. Once they went off, I used my Earth Style jutsu to go underground. Then I used my shadow clones to spread out and reappear.

I looked around, "Where are you?"

Shuriken flew around me, "I'm right here!"

I looked at him in shock as wires began to coil around me. I couldn't move as he held the wires in his mouth making signs.

Fire formed around him, "Fire Style! Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

I watched as the flames followed the wires until they incinerated me. He looked happy until the Clone dispersed, and I popped out of the ground behind him with Menpai Sensei's sword. He turned to look at me as I swung it to try and kill him. He suddenly turned into a substitution and appeared behind me.

He made a few handsigns, "Fire Style! Burn Out!"

As he was about to blow the attack, a clone appeared from under him. He looked down as a hand held his mouth shut with three paper bombs attached to the clone's chest.

He couldn't blow the attack through his mouth but got it to exhaled through his nose. The flames incinerated my clone's hand to free him. He jumped back in time to escape my clone's suicide explosion.

"Well, aren't you lucky." I smiled, narrowing my eyes.

He glared at me, "You're a lot better than I thought."

I smiled at that, "You just lost."

He shot his head up, "How?"

I pulled my hand up, revealing my Chakra wires with a clone now overhead and several underground. They all popped up holding wires until his entire body was pinned by my wires. Chakra ran through them, giving it a faint blue glow as he looked around. His cheek barely touched one of the wires and form a large straight cut.

"If you move, I'll cut your arm off and you'll never be a ninja again." I warned.

He looked at me, unmoving, "Ugh... what do I do."

"Enough!" Saraki yelled.

We both looked at her, Kyle cut his other cheek doing so, "What?" I asked.

"By default, Rui wins. We're not here to kill genin." Saraki told me.

I scoffed, "Could have fooled me considering we had to deal with a forest of death."

Kyle snickered, "It's not over yet."

He suddenly disappeared into a cloud of dust, 'So he was a clone.'

Saraki sighed, "I guess you two can continue."

Layla cheered, "You can do it Rui!"

I swung my arm to the left, predicting his next attack. He grabbed his face in pain as I turned towards him. Three Kyles appeared, hitting my other clones with kunai to destroy them. I, in return destroyed his clones with my speed but my chakra reserves began to dwindle. So did Kyle's though since he started to look tired and panted heavily.

He said, "You're... really beginning to be a problem."

I replied, "You've always been a problem, I'm glad the feeling is mutual since neither of us have much chakra left."

He smiled, "Speak for yourself."

I heard a footstep and looked to see a clone grab me from behind. He kept my arms back and tried to keep me from moving my legs.

He started making hand signs, "Fire Style, Burn out!"

He used up all his chakra to release the largest flame I've seen. It completely incinerated our clones as I forced myself up from underground. He smiled at his 'achievement' until he heard a crack. I came up, fist first, and uppercut his chin with the rest of my chakra to fuel it. He flew into the air from the force before landing on his back. I panted hard, watching him lay there unable to stand up.

"That... I can't believe I fell for that. You were underground the whole time?" he asked.

I shook my head no, "Pant. I had a clone underground the entire time. I merely used substitution to switch places with him."

He looked at the ceiling in anger, "Substitution... I lost to that again?"

I walked over to him and extended my hand, "We both could have won, I just got lucky this time. You'll win next time."

I smiled at him, making him look at me in shock before laughing, "Heh, you know I'm going to fight you again."

I gave him an endearing smile, "Of course, we're rivals. How else will we get stronger?"

He grabbed my hand, allowing me to help him up at Sataki said, "And the winner of the third round is Rui Santos."

Alexia and Layla started cheering their heads off for me before jumping down to tackle me, "You did it!" Layla yelled.

"You were amazing!" Alexia yelled.

I started choking from their hugs, "Ribs! Definitely the ribs! Stop hugging me so tightly!"

Kyle's friend came down to help him, "He was too much for you to handle, huh?" Kizashi asked.

Kyle groaned, "Yep. I was this close though."

Kizashi shook his head, "You need to use more jutsu AND your head."

Kyle snickered, "I know, I know, I know. I never learn, and I always get too overconfident."

"Kyle!" We all looked to see Nick coming back.

Kyle asked, "Nick? Why are you back?"

Nick smiled, "I decided to come back."

Kizashi looked at him in confusion, "Wait, you can't just quit and come back. You're disqualified."

Nick smiled, showing his teeth, "I talked to Iicha during the second round. He said he'll let me back in if there's a double knockout."

I looked at him, "That's not fair!"

Nick grinned, "Life isn't about being fair."

Saraki got our attention, "Round 4! Nick versus Frequency!"

Nick shot up, "That was fast!"

Frequency jumped down, "You five... get out... I have a flow to change in that one."

The five of us went to the observation floor to watch as the two of them stood there. Nick smiled, throwing 8 kunai into the air and allowed them to land in various areas. Frequency cracked his neck, wrists and ankles as air began to flow from the strange devices he wore. Saraki raised her arm and brought it down, signaling the match to start.

Frequency made the first move, "Sonic Frequency... Wave!"

Suddenly, Nick's ears pop viciously, causing blood to squirt out from his inner canal. Nick fell forward onto one knee but kept himself up.

Nick held his ear in pain, "What was that?"

Frequency tilted his head, "You wouldn't be able to hear me even if I told you."

I looked at him in shock when Nick didn't respond, 'Did you really just make him deaf?' I wondered.

Nick smirked, "Heh." he disappeared.

Frequency's head shot up, "What?"

Nick reappeared behind him, "Eat this! Chakra bullets!"

Nick pointed his hand like a gun, shooting a yellow laser from his Index finger. Frequency vibrated for a moment, moving to the side quickly. Frequency moved forward to try and punch Nick, but he disappeared again. Nick reappeared at another spot and I looked closer to see one if his kunai from earlier.

'He can teleport to his kunai. What kind of jutsu is that, I think Mary used it too?' I wondered.

Frequency appeared in front of Nick and punched him across the face without warning. Nick looked surprised as Frequency went for another punch, but Nick disappeared again. Nick reappeared in front of Frequency, returning a punch to his face. Frequency backed up and watched as Nick pointed his fingers at him.

Nick whispered, "True Wind Style-Precise shot."

Nick shot a laser bullet from his index finger and watched as Frequency dodged it, only to turn the bullet around.

"Sonic boom!" Frequency yelled, releasing a sphere of vibrating air to block the attack.

Nick extended both of his hands, "Wind Style, Scatter Shot!" I think about 50 separate lazer bullets shot out of Nicks hands, "Raijin Scatter!"

Frequency stood there as the bullets began teleporting to the kunais and surrounded him. Frequency blocked all of them with another Sonic boom. While the bullets were blocked, Nick threw a kunai at Frequency. He quickly ducked, only to look and see Nick teleport to the kunai behind him. I blinked and then they were apart with one of Frequency's devices destroyed.

"What... happened?" I asked.

Layla was watching with her Sharingan, "He uses those things on his wrists and ankles to release air mixed with his chakra. With one of those things destroyed, I wonder how it will affect his movements."

Nick smiled for a moment before appearing behind Frequency and cutting another device. That left only the devices on his ankles.

"Urgh..." Frequency grunted.

"True Wind Style-Precise Shot." Nick smirked, shooting another bullet at Frequency.

Frequency tried to move out of the way, but something went wrong. The bullet pierced his left shoulder, making Frequency gasp in shock. Nick started to do another attack, but Frequency held up a hand.

"Wait!" he coughed.

"Hm?" Nick asked.

"I give up." Frequency announced.

I frowned, thinking, 'Wow... another waste of a match.'

Saraki sighed, "The winner of the 4th round, Nick."

Nick retrieved his kunai and teleported to his squadmates, "Well... he's certainly interesting."

Our Sensei eyed him suspiciously, "It looks like he uses the teleportation jutsu used by the Second and Fourth Hokage."

I looked at our Sensei, "I noticed that he was going to the kunai he threw earlier. How exactly does it work Sensei?"

Sensei crossed his arms, "It's been a hundred years since anyone has been able to use that technique. By putting your mark on certain objects and people, they can be teleported to, but this in of itself is extremely difficult. If done wrong, the consequences can be quite severe, but he used it like it was second nature to him."

I looked at Nick, "So that kid knows a Forbidden technique used by two Hokage?"

Sensei nodded, "Yes, but he's not as fast as you think he is. Outside of the teleportation, he's pretty slow with his body movements."

Alexia spoke next, "He probably relies on the teleportation technique heavily. If so, maybe he's not training as hard as he should be."

I said aloud, "...His attacks... were they really wind style? They looked like a mix of Wind and Lightning."

Sensei narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, I noticed that too. He must have been using a Bloodline Trait in secret. I think that was the Gale style but I'm not entirely sure."

I frowned, "I'm so jealous of you guys..."

Alexia looked at me, "It's okay to be normal Rui."

I shrugged, "I know but I'll lose to a Kekkei Genkai no matter what..."

Alexia moved to stand right next to me, "I won't lie to you, that could be true, but I believe you'll become a great ninja."

I shrugged before smiling at her, "With your help, I think I can."

Layla squeezed between us, "Yeah! I'll help you Rui."

I shook my head, "Of course. You'll be of great help Layla."

We looked up at the screen, "I wonder who's next." I sighed.

The next round ended up having Moeru versus the last Sound ninja. The guy lost pitifully to her scorch style and god did it horrify me. She kills him with her jutsu, leaving his body mummified. Saraki's expression looked shocked when she stared at the guy's body. Moeru didn't have a care in the world as she came back up. I ended up staring at her in complete shock until she giggled at me with her tongue out cutely.

"She's a monster." I whispered.


	18. Ch18 End of the First Round

**Ch. 18 The End of the First Round**

 **(I hope this will be a better chapter than all the others because it will be in my new format and editing. Please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoy this story.)**

* * *

 **{Rui's Point of View}**

We waited for the next round to be called, and it ended up being Alexia versus Jerome. Jerome flexed his muscles as Alexia eyed him angrily. Saki waited until they were both ready before starting the match.

"Fire Style-Fireball jutsu!" Alexia yelled, blowing a large ball of fire at Jerome.

With a flex of his muscles, lightning encased Jerome's body as he charged towards Alexia. His lightning like armor cut through the fireball but weakened it a bit. Alexia through a kunai at him, watching it bounce off the lightning armor.

Jerome extended an arm, "Lightning Lariat!"

Alexia stood there as Jerome cut through her body with the Lightning Lariat. I was about to start screaming in horror until the two parts of her body separated into a group of Crows. They reformed into Alexia on the other side of the room as she watched him with her Sharingan.

Jerome started making hand signs with Alexia copying him perfectly, they both recite, "Lightning Style-Running Circuit!"

They both released a small ball of lightning that cancelled each other out. Jerome's Lightning Armor began to flare up, increasing his speed. Even so, Alexia dodged most of his attacks, making him look like an utter fool. Jerome began getting angry, using more chakra in order to try and hurt Alexia. At one point his Lightning Armor went away as Alexia appeared in front of him.

She held up one hand, "Flame daggers."

They were encased in black fog as small knives of fire began hitting Jerome until Alexia smacked his chest. A small explosion knocked Jerome away with a small ball of hay behind him. It exploded, releasing a green liquid that pinned Jerome to the ground. Alexia throw a kunai towards his left knee, except he reactivated his Lightning Armor. The green liquid like glue completely evaporated as the kunai bounced off his knee. Jerome got up and used Shadow Clones to surround Alexia. Without a moment's hesitation, Alexia jumped into the air and began throwing kunai with paper bombs. She had them bounce off each other and hit all the shadow clones with explosions. The Real Jerome appeared above her, but she looked dead into his eyes during the descent. I watched as he hesitated for a moment before hitting her with a Lariat. As they fell, Alexia exploded into a hundred crows with a blinding light. They scattered around the room, flying and leaving black feathers all over the arena. They began swarming around Jerome, attacking him with their beaks. He tried to fight them off, but they just kept swarming him until he was curled up in a ball. Then I blinked and saw them exactly where they were when the match started. Alexia stared at him while Jerome was rolling on the floor, swiping at nothing.

I frowned, 'She used Genjutsu to win the match... how is that fair?'

Jerome then made a handsign, "Release!" he yelled.

He panted hard before standing up, Alexia says, "Took you long enough."

Jerome looked at her, "When did you get me under a Genjutsu?" he asked.

Alexia smiled, "When you looked into my eyes, that's when I casted it."

Jerome's eyes widened before narrowing in understanding, "It was when I tried to attack from above... I see..."

Alexia's right arm burst into seven crows that flew towards him. As they did, they slowly turned into Shuriken that Jerome blocked with his Lightning Armor. When they bounced off, I noticed Jerome is panting heavily.

Alexia smiled, "You use a lot of chakra when you activate that armor, don't you?"

Jerome glared, charging straight at Alexia, however, she suddenly disappeared. Jerome looked around and above in shock before turning his armor off again.

"Where is she?" Jerome demanded.

Several of her hands grabbed his ankles, surprising everyong, "Where you least expect it." Alexia declared as she, and a few shadow clones, pulled him underground.

'She copied my jutsu...' I frowned, feeling like a loser now that she can do it...

Alexia's clones looked into Jerome's eyes and casted a new genjutsu on him. He fell asleep and ended up being unable to continue.

Saki yelled, "The winner of the sixth round! Alexia Uchiha!"

I heard clapping and looked to see Iicha was congratulating Alexia. She smiled at him, happiness dancing in her eyes from his approval. When she came back up to us, we gave her high fives. There were seven people left but one of those seven gets a free round. Turns out, Iicha allowed a stone Ninja, his name was Taka, to get a free round. We all looked up at the screen and watched the names shuffle until it landed on Kizashi. He ended up having to go against a male Mist ninja in the seventh round. When they stood across from each other, I noticed Kizashi's eyes began to look different. His veins popped up as his eye began to focus around the pale pupil.

He grinned, "I hope you enjoy our fight. I can already see your future, and it looks like you'll be on the ground crying like a failure."

The Mist Ninja snickered for a moment before trying to use a jutsu, but Kizashi moved forward, matching my newfound speed. Using two fingers, he interrupted the Mist Ninja's hand signs and hit him in the chest. The Mist Ninja looked stunned as he suddenly got Force Palmed in the chest. The Mist ninja fell onto his back, dragging along the floor. As he tried to get up, Kizashi stabbed two fingers into the Mist Ninja's left leg.

"Why is he poking him?" I asked.

Sensei looked at me, "It's a special kind of fighting only those in the Hyuga Clan use called Gentle Fist. He sends out chakra from his finger tips to attack his enemies' chakra network. By hitting chakra points, one can increase or stop the flow of his enemies' chakra network. Right now, that mist ninja must have lost a lot of feeling throughout his body. To make it worse, the bloodline trait for the Hyuga Clan is the Byakugan. By using it, they can see their opponent's chakra network and every point. Not only that but they can see nearly 360 degrees."

I looked at Alexia, "That's kind of cool right?"

Alexia looked at me, "Yeah, I guess..."

I smiled, "Think you and him could have a child with both Sharingan and Byakugan?"

Layla giggled, "Yeah... maybe you should find out Alexia."

Alexia flared up, "I will never like that guy!"

I frowned, "Why are you so mad?"

Alexia shook her head, "Just watch the fight..."

The fight wasn't anything spectacular after the attacks from Kizashi. The Mist Ninja tried to use his jutsu but Kizashi toyed with him, hitting several more chakra points. That's when it got ugly and Kizashi began kicking the poor man around, refusing his pleas to stop. He only stopped when the Proctor ordered it.

Kizashi looked at me with his Byakugan, "You." he pointed at me, "When we fight, I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than this man. Then, I'll force her to be my girlfriend!"

I glared at him, "I will never let one of my friends get forced into a relationship!"

Kizashi grinned, "Then come on, fight me right here, right now if you're so high and mighty."

Alexia grabbed my shoulder, "Don't do it Rui."

I shook my head, "I won't. If we fight in the next round, then you're welcome to try!"

Kizashi's eyes returned to normal, "Whatever. A coward like you will always be a failure."

I got mad, "How am I a coward!?"

He glanced at me as he heads back to his squad, "You hide behind your friends and clones to keep yourself safe instead of fighting like a real man. You hid the entire time against Kyle because you knew if you didn't, you'll lose."

I sighed, "Whatever. In a battle between ninja, both are expected to do whatever it takes to survive. That's precisely what I do when I'm in a fight, unless my friends are in danger."

Alexia rubbed my back, "You're a good ninja Rui, don't listen to that guy."

I nodded as the rest of the fights began to start. The eighth, ninth and tenth rounds were extremely boring to watch. The Eighth round had the last Stone Ninja fight against Denise. She sniped the hell out of him with her Lightning arrows. As they carried him out in a stretcher, I heard some of the doctors talking about the severity of the wound. They said he'll never walk again after today and that shook me to the core. The ninth round had Layla vs. a male Sand Genin. Layla gave him multiple chances to quit but ultimately knocked him out. Her curse mark jutsu had a lot of versatility that I never knew about. One of which stitched his feet to the floor as she started punching the hell out of him. In the end, she grabbed his face and smashed his skull into the arena wall. He slumped to the ground after that with a vacant expression. I hope he wasn't dead, but I really couldn't tell. As Layla came back up to us, we greeted her happily.

"That was an easy round." Layla smirked.

I chuckled, "You got lucky and faced some nobody."

Alexia nodded, "If it were one of the interesting ninja here, you'd have a real run for your money."

Layla shrugged, "Yeah... maybe. Although, I'm better than everyone here anyways."

Alexia rolled her eyes, "Of course you'd think that."

Layla giggled, "I don't think, I know."

Alexia smiled, "Oh that's right! You don't think!"

We started laughing until the final two competitors began to enter the arena. It was Charlie versus the last Hidden Mist ninja. Sadly, the lightning style is proven to be quite effective against that style of jutsu. In the end, the mist ninja died from an overcharge lightning style jutsu. His body laid on the floor with multiple burns and his eyes exploded. I think I nearly puked from the sight as Charlie just gingerly walked back to him squad. During the battle, I took note of his genjutsu since he used to paralyze the mist ninja. Then used a special lightning style jutsu that sends a large electrical pulse through contact.

'Thank god I didn't have to fight him.' I grimaced.

The Proctor yelled out, "That's the end of the first round!"

I looked at Alexia, "Who do you think I'll fight next?"

Alexia shrugged, "I don't know."

Layla cut in, "I think it will be that Hyuga kid."

I groaned, "Please don't jinx me."

Iicha Uchiha walked to the center of the room and got our attention, " ***Clears Throat*** Congratulations everyone who made it to the next round. In one month, we'll hold the final rounds in front of everyone in the leaf village, as well as, nobles from other lands."

Kizashi asked, "We're not going to fight here and now?"

Iicha shook his many, "Many of you must be exhausted from their match," I noticed his glance at me, "and need the time to re-cooperate. Not only that, many of you still need to develop your skills, and create new strategies."

Layla muttered, "I bet it's to bring in money as well... how fun..."

Iicha grunted, obviously hearing Layla's comment, "Lords from all five lands will be there, even the hidden mist's. It will be a time of peace, and I expect all of you to treat the foreigners with respect while you're in the hidden leaf. You're all dismissed."

* * *

 **-Hours Later-**

I went straight home after the round, a little shocked that I'm alive. Many of the Uchiha I've seen look at me differently. They respect me more since I survived this much. Why did I survive this much? I'm not going to win... especially not against Layla or Alexia. What can I do? No... what will I do if I'm against Kizashi? I hate that guy... even more than Kyle. I can tell he's stuck about either being a Hyuga, or something else. After taking a quick nap, I got ready to leave for supplies, instead, I was met with Alexia at my door.

I was surprised to see her, "A-Alexis. Why are you here?"

Alexia looked conflicted, shuffling nervously before asking, "Can I... come inside?"

I stepped aside, "Sure, but I'll warn you. I don't have anything to eat or drink."

Alexia stepped in, glancing at me, "Don't worry, I'm just here to have a chat."

I snickered, "Oh boy, a chat. This sounds serious."

I closed the door and sat at my small table with her. Alexia played with her hair, something I've never seen her do. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her look so... nervous. This must either be serious, or incredibly important to her.

The silence was becoming deafening, so I asked, "What is it Alexia?"

Alexia took a deep breath, "I have to be blunt... or you won't understand."

I tilted my head, giving her a confused look, "Well?"

Alexia looked down before looking me dead in my eyes and saying, "I'm in love with you."

I stared at her blankly for the longest time before... "Pfft... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I fell off my chair, laughing into the floor, "HAHAHAHAHA! That was great Alexia! I'm dying over here!"

Alexia got up and walked over to me, grabbing my collar and picking me up angrily, "That wasn't a joke!"

I looked at her in shock, seeing tears of frustration, "Oh..."

Alexia gripped my collar tighter, "O-oh...? Is that all you have to say? Is that it?"

I held out my hand to touch her shoulder, "Alexia, I-"

I stopped when I saw tears, "You dont... ***Hic*** feel anything for me! After everything we've been through!"

I flinched, seeing the amount of hurt in her eyes, "I do feel something!"

Alexia screamed, "What is it then!?"

I gently grabbed her wrist, "I feel the same!"

Alexia flinched this time, "You... feel the same?"

I couldn't look her in the eye, "After everything that's happened... you're the only one I care for to this degree."

Alexia slowly stopped gripping my collar, "You know Layla loves you too, right?"

I was shocked to hear that as well, "She does!?"

Alexia nodded, "That's why we've been fighting over you. I'm at war with my best friend for your heart and I... I decided to take this chance."

I looked into her eyes, "Why would you go against your best friend for me?"

Alexia teared up, forcing her face into my chest, "I hate being like this... showing my feelings. It's so much easier to pretend to be emotionless but... I'm not. I had to make a choice, even if it meant losing my best friend."

I held her there, "Did you two ever try to talk things out?"

Alexia nodded into my chest, "She and I decided to fight in combat to decide who gets to date you but... I couldn't let myself go through with it."

I pushed her back, "You two decided that on your own?"

Alexia nodded, "I know it wasn't right, but it was only a matter of time before someone took you from us. I'd rather lose you to Layla than to some stranger."

Seeing Alexia cry this much really hurt my soul, "Alexia..."

Alexia looked at me, "Yes?"

I hugged her gently, "Thank you."

Alexia gasped, "Thank you? For what?"

I pulled back, "For the first time, I feel like I've heard someone genuinely say they love me, and it was from my best friend. I always did like you more than Layla, so I'll do it."

Alexia looked at me with wide hopeful eyes, "You'll do what?"

I kissed her, "I'll be your boyfriend."

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

Waking up the next day felt like a dream... and it wasn't a good one. The realization of what I did yesterday finally sunk in, especially when I received a threatening letter in the mail from Alexia's older brother. I was honestly scared to be in my own home alone. To account for this, I left to get breakfast from a nearby Uchiha owned restaurant. For some reason, I wasn't surprised to see the Hokage there, eating his breakfast. I'm starting to feel like this man has way too much free time on his hands.

He waved at me, calling me to sit with him, "Rui, eat with me please."

I groaned, knowing full well that saying no is not an option, "Okay. Good morning Lord Hokage."

When I sat down, he started pouring some fresh milk into a cup for me. I was expecting him to say something, but he didn't. He just handed me the cup and waited for his food. I drank the milk, realizing how creamy and fresh it is.

Then, he finally spoke, "I heard you and Alexia are together now. I always knew you liked her."

I blushed a bit, "Well... I did like her the best..."

Iicha smiled, "I think she liked you from the start."

I looked down, "Do you really think so?"

Iicha nodded, "She wouldn't date you for the fun of it."

I sighed, "I'm not really sure honestly. It could just be a rivalry between her and Layla."

Iicha shook his head, "I highly doubt that. Alexia is not that type of kunoichi."

I nodded, "Yeah... you're right. She isn't one to lie about anything."

Iicha grunted, "That's from how strict we Uchiha are with our children."

I decided to tell him, "Speaking of children, I received a letter from Alexia's brother."

Iicha raised a brow in interest, "Oh? Why's that?"

I sighed, "He's angry that I'm dating his sister... when she and I have only been dating for less than a day."

Iicha laughed, "I wouldn't worry about it, it's natural for an older brother to be protective of his younger sister."

I shrugged, "I guess so."

Iicha and I ate our breakfast quickly, he finished it a lot earlier than I did. It seems he was needed to 'Hokage Business'. His life must sure be busy if he has the time to constantly run into me. When I finished, Alexia ran into me as I left.

She seemed surprised, "Rui, you went out for breakfast?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

Alexia blushed, "Oh. I kind of wish you invited me."

I showed her the letter, "If I did, your brother would've put me under a genjutsu."

Alexia groaned, "Ugh. That's not cool."

I decided to hold her hand, "Would you like to train with me in private?"

Alexia blushed before shaking her head, "You asked me to do that before we dated, that can't be romantic."

I laughed, "Romantic or not, it's a serious question."

Alexia smiled a bit, "Only if you kiss me when I kick your butt."

I chuckled a bit, "You'll be kissing the floor Alexia."

I was still a little surprised to feel her hold my hand and gently pull me. I started thinking about Layla, what would she think? If Alexia was serious, then Layla might try to hurt us one day... no... she's our friend. She would never do that... would she?

* * *

 **(That's it for this chapter, I hope you guys will favorite, follow and review to support this story.)**


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